


The Gift of Love

by LadyKeren



Series: Ruler of the Stars [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Action/Adventure, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fantasy, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-13 01:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4503072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKeren/pseuds/LadyKeren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finally coming to grips with his feelings for Naru, Nephrite leaves the Dark Kingdom upon Ruby's advice and he and his henchwomen slowly learn about what the human world has to offer, but not without having to deal with Beryl's ongoing threat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Once again, Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, not me. However, Alexandrite, Ametrine, Miki, Yukari and Ruby belong to me so do me a favor and don't steal them. This novel continues where "Slow Process to Redemption" left off and is the final book in the Nephrite series. As usual, Japanese names will be used as well as a mixture of NA dub, a pinch of PGSM and original anime influences. Twists of events will occur here and there as well as some usage of dialogue from the show. Although this fic will be based on the anime, I like PGSM Zoisite, so the Zoisite in this fic will eventually have some of his personality characteristics. Rated T for violence. Feedback is much appreciated but no rude comments will be tolerated.

After school, Usagi and Naru went over to Juuban Park to have a talk. The entire walk there had been in silence, as Naru seemed to be in her own world and Usagi wanted to save what she had to say for when she was alone with her best friend.  _'Oh goody,'_  thought Usagi when she saw that aside from some birds flying around chirping, the park was mostly empty.  _'Absolutely perfect for our talk.'_  She could feel the breeze blowing on the back of her neck. Her long blonde pigtails proceeded to blow in the wind.  _'Oh that feels so nice.'_

Naru sat on the ground with her legs stretched out in front of her and glumly rested her head in her lap. She was so confused and didn't know what to make of the turn of events that occurred the previous night. There she witnessed Nephrite being just as vicious as the monsters she was nearly attacked by in the past, yet he showed concern for her when she protected him and saved her from Yasha. Not to mention when she woke up she discovered he had left her his phone number.  _'Surely he must want to have something to do with me if he gave me a way to contact him. Not sure if I will, though. I don't want to be a nuisance to him.'_ The red head heaved a loud sigh.  _'I wanna know more about those ladies who were with him, too.'_

Usagi shot a glance at her best friend, and had a hunch about what was on her mind.  _'She must be thinking about Nephrite again. What should I tell her? I don't want her to be mad at me, but I can't let her get hurt, either, although it remains to be seen that my wish will not come true.'_  She knew enough not to tell Naru to just forget him, as it would only upset the girl further. She took a deep breath. "Naru-chan, about Masato Sanjouin, I was only looking out for your best interest. I didn't mean to upset you. Please believe me."

Naru looked up slightly. She could see the blonde looking at her with pleading eyes, begging her for forgiveness. Her heart softened. "I know you were just trying to help. And it is okay. I have seen how bad he can be, but I still love him. I can't get over my feelings for him, even though I probably should."

The blonde smiled sadly at how quickly Naru seemed to have matured. No puppy love or silly crush for her. "You really love him that much?"

"I do," the red head answered. "Very, very much." She was not ashamed to admit her true feelings, even if people laughed at her for having them. She paused. "Do you have someone you love?"

"Sort of," Usagi admitted. "With two guys, actually."  _'Although my love isn't nearly as mature as yours.'_

Naru felt better hearing that, although she had to hold back a chuckle at the thought of her best friend loving two guys at once. "I am glad you understand."

"I do now," said Usagi. "I hope everything works out for you."

Naru's eyes brightened a bit. "You mean that?" She hoped her friend wasn't just pulling the wool over her eyes.

"Sure I do. Something tells me your love may change him."  _'I hope she doesn't ask me how I know that. I would have to reveal my identity and it is forbidden to do so.'_  She helped Naru to her feet. "Best friends again?"

"Of course." The red head and Usagi hugged each other.

Usagi was so glad the little argument was just a small misunderstanding. It was only on occasion that she and her friend argued, but she hated their fights all the same. "Let's go."  _'Thank goodness it's the weekend…no thanks to the boatload of homework Ms. H gave us.'_

"Okay." As Naru left the park with her best friend, there was something that puzzled her.  _'I wonder how she knows so much about Masato-san. '_  She shrugged the nagging feeling off.  _'Maybe it's just a coincidence or something. It is really bugging me, but now is not the right time to ask her about it.'_

Meanwhile, Ruby was in the den, flipping pages in a fashion magazine. For the first time in years she was feeling a little less stressed, thanks to being able to rid herself of the feelings she had whenever she heard the voice of Queen Beryl. _'Speaking of which, I wonder what Beryl is up to now….if she even knows about what transpired last night.'_  There was no doubt in her mind if the witch queen did know about what had happened, there would certainly be hell to pay…if not from Beryl, definitely from Zoisite or Kunzite. So why was there so much quiet? It didn't make sense. _‘Not that I am complaining…I will enjoy this quiet while it lasts.'_  She twirled one of her cherry colored hair strands around her finger.

Just then, Miki and Yukari entered the den. Miki was holding a glass of ice tea.

Ruby looked up from the magazine she had been reading and placed it aside, for she was a bit too distracted to read anyway. "Oh, hello there, girls. What's going on?"

"Just wanted to see if you would like a glass of iced tea," said Yukari.

"Well sure," answered the crimson haired young woman. "Thank you."

Miki handed Ruby the glass filled with the coffee colored liquid. "Actually, this is part of the reason we have come to see you."

"Oh?" Ruby took the glass from her friend and took a sip, enjoying the flavor.  _'A nice relaxing drink on a nice relaxing day.'_  "So what is it?"

"What has been on your mind today?" asked Miki. "You seem a bit distracted."

' _Oh darn it. I was hoping she wouldn't notice. She would never let me live it down.'_  "Well, don't you find it a bit odd that Beryl has been so quiet about last night's turn of events?"

"Yes, you're right," answered Yukari. "And it's about time, too. I thought I was going to have to stock up on aspirin once again."

Miki gave her twin an amused look. "I do understand what you mean, but don't you think it means Beryl could be plotting against us as we speak? After all, Master Nephrite did save Naru-san, and you know it's not something the witch queen will take kindly to. Don't get me wrong, I would have done the same thing, but we need to protect ourselves somehow."

Yukari looked thoughtful and felt so annoyed with herself. "Yes. You're right." She shuddered at the thought of being turned into a human ice sculpture like Jadeite had been, for his failure.

Ruby took another sip of iced tea and rested the cup on the floor. "That has also been on my mind, Miki. We have to find a way to escape the Dark Kingdom, but we must plan carefully. It would be foolish to expect those vultures to let us leave alive."

Yukari gave a wistful sigh and ran a hand through her curls. "I never thought I would say this, but it certainly would be nice to be free from the Dark Kingdom. Sure, the idea of world domination was fun for awhile, but thanks to Naru I am beginning to see there is more to life than that."

"I agree," said Miki. "I concede that I cannot hope to compete with Naru-san." For the longest time, she had been disgusted by the thought of taking second place to a school girl, but the courage the young girl displayed the previous night showed who would be the better soulmate.

Yukari and Ruby looked at each other. They never thought Miki would be one to freely accept defeat.

' _I would love to get to know that girl better.'_  "I do not know what Master Nephrite plans to do, but I will talk to him and see if he is willing to leave the Dark Kingdom." Ruby was hopeful he would, as he seemed to be deeply affected by Naru's love.

Later that night, Nephrite sat on the throne in his planetarium. He had sensed Beryl summoning him all day, but just like before, he had no interest in hearing what she had to say, nor would he ever be again. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, now that he knew why the black colored crystal kept reacting to Naru's energy. He was still unsure of the next step he should take.

The star shitennou pulled out the kurozuishou and examined it. "The kurozuishou is no longer of any use to me." It was still hard for him to come to grips with the fact that the stars were leading him down a different path from the one he thought he had in mind.

_*Flashback begins*_

_Naru saw the moon tiara heading for Nephrite. Filled with fear for what the Frisbee weapon could do to him as well as adrenaline, she dashed in front of the chestnut haired young man. "I'll protect Sanjouin-san!"_

_Moon screamed with fright as she watched the tiara travel closer and closer to her best friend. "Tiara, please stop!"_

_Naru wrinkled her brow and looked away as the tiara headed for her. To everyone's surprise, the tiara weapon dropped onto the ground. Moon picked it up. "I can't believe it stopped."_

_"I won't allow you to hurt him!" said Naru in a no-nonsense tone._

_"Naru, we can't let him escape," said Mercury._

_"Step aside right now!" ordered the raven haired senshi._

_"Not a chance!" replied the red head stubbornly. "You will have to kill me too!"_

' _Why would she protect someone like me?' wondered Nephrite. Sure, Ruby had protected him before but this was different when coming from a human._

_"Why would you protect such an evil man?" asked the senshi of ice._

_Tears streamed down the red head's face as she answered, "Because I love this man with all my heart. I will protect him at all costs, even if it means my own death."_

_*Flashback ends*_

Nephrite's recollection of Naru protecting him from Moon's tiara as well as her giving him a rose and telling him she loved him very much made his heart feel very warm inside _. 'Could this be the feeling of love?'_

"Impossible. I'm getting soft," muttered the star shitennou as he stood up. It was the same feeling he had when he danced with her at the Diamond ball a few weeks prior, when he walked by her side with an arm around her shoulders and when he wrote down his contact information for her, although he was not sure why he did the latter.

"Excuse me, Master Nephrite."

Nephrite glanced up to see Ruby standing before him, bowing respectfully. "Yes, Ruby. What is it?" He noted the young woman had somewhat of an earnest look on her face, which she would only wear when there was something on her mind she was desperate to discuss with him.

"There is something I must speak with you about, sir. I hope I haven't disturbed you." Ruby always hated to interrupt her master from something important.

"No you haven't. Go on."

The red head youma took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts. "First, I have a question regarding the girl Naru. You are fond of her, are you not? You don't have to be ashamed to admit that to me."

Nephrite was a bit taken aback by the question. He was not one to admit his feelings to anyone in the Dark Kingdom, but he knew Ruby and his other henchwomen enough to know he could trust them, as for the longest time they were the closest individuals he had to companions. Not to mention he could not deny his feelings any longer, even though he still had yet to fully understand them.  _'Come on, admit it. You have no reason to lie to her,'_ said a voice in his head. "Yes I am."

Ruby looked relieved Nephrite didn't bite her head off for asking him a question he might or might not consider really personal. "In that case, I feel you should leave the Dark Kingdom," she advised.

The star shitennou's eyebrows raised slightly, a bit surprised at what just came out of the mouth of Ruby. Such a possible option had actually crossed his mind, but he wasn't sure how his trio of youma would feel about it. Though why he should be surprised, he didn't know, since their hatred for Beryl was immense. "Oh? What brought this on?"

Ruby looked sure of herself as she answered, "Well, you have met someone who is showing you a better life, which is more than the Dark Kingdom could ever offer. Also, wouldn't you like to learn more about the positive human emotions? I know I am curious about them."

Nephrite smiled for the first time that night. It was true, Ruby could be just as curious as a kitten at times. And she did make a strong point about the human world. There were quite a bit of likable aspects, so on the one hand, he knew he would be crazy to try and destroy it.  _'On the other hand, would it be foolish to give up such power?'_

The cherry haired young woman didn't know what to make of her master's silence. Not that she blamed him; such an awesome position of power was a lot to give up. At the same time, she hated to bring back bad news to her two friends. "Please sir. Consider what I am saying. And I hope you know that whatever happens after this, Miki, Yukari and I will back you up. Remember, we pledged our loyalty to you, not Beryl."

Of course, Nephrite definitely knew that, for his henchwomen had proven their loyalty to him a long time ago. And although he would usually scoff at what Ruby had been telling him, oddly enough, he wouldn't this time.  _'Ruby never ceases to amaze me.'_  "I will give it some thought and let you know my decision in due time."

Not quite the answer Ruby was hoping for, but it gave her a bit of hope. "Take your time planning. We do need to be careful after all."

' _Ruby is indeed correct when she mentions careful planning.'_ One more act of deception was in order. Nephrite recalled Sailor Moon's interactions with Naru when she warned the red head about him. He knew she would not be so vehement about her warnings unless...

"Sailor Moon seems to have a close connection to Naru. Maybe Naru-san knows who Sailor Moon is." Nephrite chuckled lightly. "Sailor Moon, I hope you didn't think you have seen the last of me." He started to have a feeling of…guilt?  _'Insane. Why would I feel guilty about this plan of revealing Sailor Moon's identity? It seems Naru has had more of an influence on me than I thought.’_ He placed the kurozuishou back in his pocket and disappeared in a swirl of brownish red light.

Unbeknownst to both Nephrite and Ruby, Zoisite was in the mansion as well, spying on them from behind a stone white pillar near the throne. He smirked when he saw the kurozuishou in his rival's hands.  _'So Nephrite created the kurozuishou to help him find the ginzuishou, did he? Well if he does not want it anymore, I will gladly take it off his hands. Doing so should be a piece of cake considering how distracted he has become…and I suspect he is not to be trusted. I had better keep a close eye on him.'_ The blonde shitennou snickered.

Ruby heard the sickening laughter which caused her to look up sharply, and nearly made her lose her dinner.  _'Show yourself, you slimeball.'_  She spotted a figure standing by the stone pillar, disappearing in a flurry of cherry blossoms. The red head youma pinched the bridge of her nose in disgust.  _'Zoisite.'_  She was so annoyed with herself for not sensing his presence sooner, but she somehow knew he was up to no good.  _'I had better keep my eyes on that worthless little worm.'_  She disappeared from the planetarium as well, and went to find the twins to inform them of this.

Nephrite stood in Naru's dim room and watched her sleep for awhile.  _'So this is what the girl's room looks like. I suppose it is fitting for a girl of her age.'_ He smiled at how peaceful she looked while asleep.  _'Such an innocent, fragile, beautiful girl.'_  He had the strongest urge to run his fingers through her short, thick, wavy red hair that was spread across her pillow, to let her know of his presence. To resist the temptation, he hid behind the curtains.

Naru heard the sound, which caused her to stir in her sleep and wake up with a start. She saw a silhouette of her ideal soulmate, which made her heart burst with joy, just as she thought she would go insane worrying about whether she would see him again. "Sanjouin-sama, is that you?”

Nephrite was somewhat amused by how much trust the young girl had placed in him, although he had been deceiving her most of the time. But now his conscience was nagging at him for it.  _'It is time to show her some honesty.'_  "Masato Sanjouin is just a disguise. My real name is Nephrite. I do not wish to lie to you anymore. Please forgive me for having done so."

' _So Sailor Moon and Usagi had been telling me the truth all along.'_  Naru wanted to kick herself for being so explosive with Usagi during their little spat, but she knew it was in the past now.  _'I thought it was weird when Ruby referred to him as Master Nephrite before…she and those other ladies with her must be his servants or something.'_  "Of course I will." She knew how hard telling the truth could be at times and it took guts. For that reason, her respect for Nephrite grew even more. She started to reach out to him.

"Stay where you are and just listen."

' _Rats! So much for getting closer to him.'_ Naru pulled her hand away and gave him her best attentive look. "I'm listening."

"You're a wonderful girl, Naru-san. It is because of you I have come to understand love for the first time in my life. There is no love in the evil organization I had inhabited, the Dark Kingdom. There is nothing but deceit and betrayal, ruthless creatures that will say and do anything to get what they desire. In fact, my servants are the only ones to display emotions remotely similar to yours. I thought that was the way things were everywhere, but your love has opened my eyes to the truth. You have impacted my servants as well."

"Awww…" Naru never thought someone like her would be able to impact anyone the way Nephrite just described. She didn't feel like a silly girl with a silly crush anymore. "Nephrite-san...sorry if I am asking too much, but won't you please come closer? I have something I want to say to you as well." She scooted over a bit, so she was in the center of her bed. She looked a bit sheepish at making such a request.  _'That was real smooth. However, I felt like there was such a distance between us.'_

"All right." The star shitennou reappeared in the young girl's room and sat in the space she left for him.  _'I think I know what she wants to tell me.'_  He faced her and looked directly into her greenish blue eyes, letting her know she had his full attention.

' _Oh his eyes are even more beautiful than I remember them being.'_ Naru drew in a deep breath. For some reason, her confession was becoming harder to do than before, which she found strange. She hoped it wasn't fear, as it seemed like he wasn't bothered by her at all.  _'Come on Naru, you can do it. You have before.'_  "I love you very much, Nephrite-sama. I've loved you since the first moment we met."  _'There. That wasn't so bad. I hope I won't scare him off.'_

"And I love you," confessed Nephrite. Somehow it was easier to admit his true feelings the second time than it was at first.

Naru's eyes widened with shock. At first she didn't know what to say. She had been hoping he would return her feelings, but with everything that happened, it was too good to be true. "Really?!" she finally squeaked out, reaching up a hand and gently stroking Nephrite's hair. The corner of her lips started to curl up into a smile.

Smiling, the chestnut haired young man held her small, dainty hand in one of his gloved hands, which gave her butterflies in her stomach. "Yes Naru-san, and from this moment forward, I want to become allied with the sailor senshi. Help me, Naru-chan. If you know who Sailor Moon is, please tell me where I can find her."

The small smile on Naru's face faded. "I'm sorry, I really don't know."

"You do trust me, don't you?" asked Nephrite, feigning hurt.

"Of course I do, Nephrite-san. But I just don't know. I only see her when I am in danger. She hasn't given me any way to contact her." Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Nephrite frowned, but decided to take Naru's word for it. He dried her tears. It pained him to see her in distress. "I see. Well if you do find her whereabouts, you know how to contact me." He stood up, leaned over, kissed the girl on the cheek and disappeared.

"Nephrite-sama, wait!" She opened the curtains. She touched her cheek where he had kissed her.  _'At least I now have an excuse to call him…but who knows how long it will take me to find out that information?'_

Nephrite stood outside the red head's room, arms crossed.  _'I am sure she will find a way to contact Sailor Moon.'_

Across the street from Naru's place, Zoisite stood on top of a building with his trio of youma known as the Plant Sisters. The sakura shitennou thought it seemed suspicious back when Nephrite said he was doing his task for himself and not Beryl, as well as when he overheard the conversation with Ruby. He now knew where the older shitennou's loyalty lie. Zoisite gave an evil smirk, as these interesting, yet outrageous turn of events gave him the perfect way to punish his rival for attempted assignment theft.

"My oh my, the fact that Nephrite has fallen so deeply in love with that earthling female proves he is more of a foolish man than I thought," commented Zoisite, with an amused expression on his face.  _'Certainly more sickening than those love sick youma of his.'_

"Master Zoisite."

"Hmm?" The tawny haired shitennou glanced up to see one of the sisters, Grape, with hair that was half blonde, half purple and an arm that was made up of thorns, approaching him.

"So girls, what do you think about such a sickening display of affection?" Zoisite asked his trio of plant-like youma. Just saying the words made him feel queasy.

"He's so stupid," the sister with deep purple hair and bangs streaked with red, known as Housenka, answered.

"Let's kill him right away!" said Grape.  _'He shall feel the wrath of my extendable thorn arm for his treachery!'_

The sister with long navy-bluish black hair called Suzuran remained silent. She seemed to be a bit neutral on the situation.

Zoisite smiled at the fact that his plant-like youma were on the same page as he, but at the same time, he was not surprised by it. They wanted nothing more than to prove their loyalty to him as well as punish those who caused him pain in any way. But they were also being rash as well. "Do try and calm down a bit. I think we should bide our time. Nephrite is extremely fierce in battle, and a direct confrontation can cost us our lives. Let's attack him in a more subtle way. Why not take this little girl hostage and lure him into our trap?"

"That works, too," said Housenka. She had been so intent on destroying her master's rival that she forgot about the importance of perfect strategy. She looked at Suzuran, who had just been standing by and listening. "Suzuran, what's on your mind? You have been so quiet. You are in agreement of this plan, are you not?"

The ebony-haired sister looked sheepish. "Of course I am. But I was also wondering, what about those insolent wenches who surround Nephrite? Shall we dispose of them, too?"

' _She must be referring to the youma called Miki, Yukari and Ruby,'_  thought Grape. Before she could answer, Zoisite responded, "No, let them be. After all, they can be disposed of at any time. Let's show them how nice we can be by having them watch their master suffer."

"Understood," said Grape. She and her two sisters left to carry out the plan.

' _Nephrite…I will never lose to you again,'_  thought Zoisite as he watched his youma go.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Naru sat on her bed with her hand beneath her chin. She gave a loud sigh as she pondered the previous turn of events. She had tried going back to sleep, but Nephrite's confession to her combined with her worry for him prevented her from being able to.

' _I suppose I should be happy that Nephrite-sama said he loved me…which I am, since a part of me didn't think he would return my feelings…but how can I be totally happy, knowing he is possibly in trouble?'_  The red head could feel her eyes welling up with tears, but she blinked them back and took a deep breath.  _'Don't get too upset, Naru,'_  said a voice inside Naru's head.  _'Try to think of what to do.'_

' _Okay, if I am going to save Nephrite-sama, I'm going to have to find Sailor Moon. The problem is I don't know where to look.'_  Naru then remembered the conversation she had with Usagi that afternoon, in regards to Nephrite.  _'Maybe she knows something about Sailor Moon, how to contact her or something. Her knowledge of him is too weird to just be a coincidence.'_

Knowing Usagi would be the only one who could help, Naru decided to call her. She quietly tiptoed downstairs, not wanting her mom to know she was still up. She was hopeful speaking to the blonde about the situation would not be too difficult, given her change in tune. She retrieved the cordless phone, tiptoed back upstairs to her bedroom, sat on the floor and dialed the number. _'I hope she's still awake, or else I won't be able to help Nephrite-sama. Who knows what will happen then?'_

"Good evening, Tsukino residence," answered a crisp female's voice.

Naru let out a sigh of relief. "Hi, Mrs. Tsukino. I'm sorry if I disturbed you. May I speak with Usagi, please?"  _'Please be awake, please be awake, please be awake.'_  Not that she was expecting her friend to still be up, considering her slothful nature and how late it was.

"Hold on just a moment."

"Thank you." As Naru waited for her friend to come to the phone, she composed herself enough to be able to say whatever she needed to without breaking down into tears.

Usagi came to the phone giving a long yawn. "Yes, who is it?" she asked sleepily. There was silence on the other line. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Who's calling me?"  _'Please let this not be a prank call. I wouldn't be able to sleep if it is.'_  She hoped it wasn't Umino, either, or else she would give him a piece of her mind for interrupting her beauty rest. But then her heart began to pound with worry, since the only time she would be called so late was if something was wrong. Did Ami or Rei have some sort of crisis?  _'I wonder if there is some sort of attack going on that I know nothing about.'_ She balled her free hand into a fist at the thought.

Naru took it Usagi had been half asleep, if not going to sleep soon. _'I had better keep this call short.'_ "Usagi, I'm sorry for calling you so late." Naru didn't believe her best friend would be mad at her since she didn't make it a habit to call late at night, but she didn't want Usagi to get the wrong idea.

"Oh, Naru!" Usagi exclaimed, somewhat relieved, somewhat worried.  _'She's the last person I would expect to hear from this late…something must be wrong for sure.'_  Realizing how loud her voice was, she lowered it to a whisper, lest someone would come and tell her to lower the decibels. "What's wrong?"

"I have some good news, but I also need your help, and I didn't know who else to call."

"Okay. What happened?"

"Well Masato Sanjouin's real name is Nephrite. He told me he loved me and he also asked me to help him find Sailor Moon."

"Oh?" Usagi wanted to believe Nephrite's confession to the red head meant that her wish upon the shooting star came true, but it still remained to be seen. She was not sure what to make of him wanting to meet up with her.  _'For all I know, it could be part of a trap he is planning to set for me. I mean, yes he proved me wrong, but I can't expect that his personality would make a drastic change in just one night.'_

' _Oh, she certainly took that better than I thought she would. I thought for sure she would be at least slightly freaked about Nephrite-sama wanting to see Sailor Moon.'_ All of a sudden, Naru's eyes filled with tears, which she had been doing a good job fighting. "I have the feeling Nephrite-sama is in great danger, but I feel so useless knowing I can't do anything to help him." She burst into tears.

Usagi cocked an eyebrow. "What kind of danger is he in?" she asked, genuinely concerned. She knew if Nephrite loved her best friend like he said, the agents of the Dark Kingdom would surely torture him for that, which would spell disaster for Naru as well. The thought of Naru being in danger made her feel discomfort in her chest. She could hear sniffling. "Naru? Are you crying?"

Naru's tears subsided. "I'm sorry to burden you with this so late at night. I'm all right now." At that moment, a silhouette of Nephrite appeared outside her bedroom door, though she didn't know it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" inquired the blonde. She hoped her friend wasn't just saying that.

"Yes, I really am. If you know how to contact Sailor Moon, please tell her Nephrite-sama needs to speak with her. Thank you for listening, Usagi-chan."

"Sure, Naru," said Usagi hesitantly. "Anytime." She hung up.

' _Don't worry Nephrite-sama, help is on the way,'_  thought Naru as she hung up as well.

Nephrite smiled to himself as he heard the last bit of the phone conversation.  _'Just as I thought. So Naru-san's friend's name is Usagi, is it? Interesting.'_  He knew just how he would use that piece of info.

(planetarium)

Ruby, Yukari and Miki found out about Zoisite's plot with the help of Yukari's crystal ball. The twins' faces turned pale with rage. Ruby was so furious that her face turned nearly as red as her hair. Not only was Zoisite a complete coward, but he had to involve an innocent girl who had nothing to do with his grudge against Nephrite.

Ruby's first instinct was to turn the Plant Sisters into plant fertilizers, tear Zoisite apart limb by limb, and rip out his internal organs as the finishing touch. She clenched her fists and proceeded to breathe heavily, almost as if she were hyperventilating.  _'Okay, Ruby calm down,'_  she mentally told herself, trying to slow down her breathing.  _'If you are going to stop this, you must have a clear and sound mind. You have to do something fast, as those annoying weed sisters could be terrorizing Naru-san by the second.'_ She recalled how peaceful and fragile the girl looked and imagined her and Nephrite's lives being cut short in a cold blooded manner.

The red head youma shook her head to rid her mind of the horrific image.  _'Pull yourself together, girl! This is no time to think about crying yourself silly! Remember, this is nothing Master Nephrite cannot handle.'_

The twins glanced at Ruby. "You all right? What do you think about all this?" asked Yukari.

By then Ruby had calmed down somewhat. "It is absolutely despicable, but I cannot say I'm surprised, considering what an annoying, detestable parasite Zoisite is," she answered.

Yukari rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Good grief. I knew Zoisite was a scumbag, but who knew he was such a vengeful maniac? Do you think he concocted this scheme all on his own or did Kunzite put him up to this?"  _'Can't Kunzite train him better?'_

"It wouldn't surprise me if Kunzite gave him that plan, but you never know what he would be capable of when he becomes a dangerous enemy," said Miki. "Of course, he could just be making empty threats, but it is wise not to take chances. I must admit, at least he had the sense to warn those wretched sisters that Master Nephrite is a very skilled warrior. "

Ruby laughed huffily. "Even so, they're fools if they think Master Nephrite will be outsmarted so easily. Subtlety is clever, but not good enough."

"Yes, well, we'd better go find Master Nephrite and warn him about this," pointed out Yukari, looking worried. "Otherwise, Zoisite and those plant women will make liars out of us."

' _Yeah, like that'll ever happen,'_  thought Ruby. "Agreed."

Usagi quickly got dressed in her sailor outfit and proceeded to run over to Naru's house with Luna beside her. Shortly after she had hung up from her best friend, she began to have a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, which she usually had when someone close to her was in danger.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this plan of helping Nephrite?" asked Luna. "He may have set a trap for you."

Usagi rolled her eyes at the attempt to make her have second thoughts. "Of course I'm sure, I've never been surer of anything in my life! I mean, I'm still not entirely sure if the wish I made worked, but I want to find out!"  _'Plus Naru sounded really upset on the phone and I don't want to see her hurt.'_

Luna didn't know what to say to that, since it was understandable. "Well, if you say so. I do, however, believe Naru is in danger. However, you're not going to save her in time if you don't pick up the pace!"

"Hey, what do you expect? I'm not a cat!" Usagi hated when Luna always had to rub it in her face that she was a slow sprinter.

"Never mind, I'll meet you there!" Luna sped off.

' _Geez, she could have waited for me…we were almost there…but I suppose it beats her rushing me when I'm doing my best to get there quickly.'_  Usagi was about to follow, but suddenly, the sidewalk became crooked and she had trouble keeping her balance. Soon it seemed like everywhere was crooked. It was almost as if someone was trying to send her into another dimension.

"Aaaaah! What's up with this? I bet this is the work of a youma! You're going down, you Dark Kingdom flunky!" A part of her wondered if it could be Nephrite or one of his youma behind the trick, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. _'After all, innocent until proven guilty, right?'_ She took out her brooch. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" As the transformation was complete, the sidewalk and surroundings returned to normal. The moon senshi stood with one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead, poised for whichever challenge she was about to face. "All right, show yourself, whoever you are! I don't have all night to be waiting!"

"Hahaha, thank you for revealing your true identity, Sailor Moon!" answered a familiar male's voice.

' _Oh. So it is Nephrite.'_ Sailor Moon whirled around.  _'Where is he? I don't see him.'_  She was about to yell at him to show himself, but before she could, he appeared in a swirl of reddish light, levitating to the ground. His long hair, which had been swirling slightly upward, fell over his shoulders.

"Nephrite!" Moon cried out, half terrified, half exasperated. She felt like such a fool for even thinking of helping him, since at the moment he didn't  _look_ to be in any danger.  _'He must have tricked Naru-chan again…no Sailor Moon…don't think that way, even if you are suspicious. You have to hang tough! Remember, it will take some time for him to change.'_

"So Sailor Moon's real name is Usagi, is it not?" asked Nephrite. "You would be a fool to deny it. I saw you transform."

Sailor Moon squirmed, unsure of what to say at first. It was true, he had seen her transformation, so she couldn't lie, but at the same time she knew she would be a fool to confess. There was one thing that puzzled her. It was one thing for him to see what she looked like in street clothing, but how could he possibly know her name?  _'He must have overheard Naru while she was talking to me on the phone. That little schemer!'_  She knew enough not to openly show her anger, as he would probably be amused by it. She decided to test him. "Perhaps I am, but if you know that, would you please do me a favor and not tell anyone? It could just be our little secret between the two of us. All right, Nephrite?"

' _I see she's not willing to acknowledge her identity…clever girl. However, I can still see through her little charade.'_  "You don't have to hide the truth any longer."

Moon didn't think it would do much good to explain why it was imperative to hide her identity, but she decided to try anyway. "You don't understand. I really have to. Do you realize what could happen if Beryl learned the truth? Please, I really don't want to fight." The blonde senshi stopped, listening to herself. Although she hadn't planned on saying the last words, she realized how true they were. _'Great…he must think I'm a wimp or pathetic, but I can't help it.'_  She looked down at her feet.

Nephrite studied the young girl before him, and could see in her eyes that although she had a brave front, she was at least mildly afraid. Not that he blamed her. If he were in her shoes, he would be afraid of him, too. And he could very easily take advantage of her fears and attack if he wanted to, since he generally enjoyed seeing her on her knees.

' _Please, Nephrite-sama, say you and Usagi-chan will try to come to an understanding,'_  said a voice in the star shitennou's head. What struck him was that it sounded a lot like Naru's voice. He wasn't sure if he was entirely ready to do that just yet, but he hated the thought of Naru being in distress. He thought of a good way to prove her right. "Not to worry. I do not intend to reveal your identity to Queen Beryl." There. It was a start, but better than nothing and a huge step where his enemy was concerned.

"Nephrite…" Sailor Moon looked surprised by what her one time foe just said. She was tempted to ask him what brought on the change. Surely it wasn't her plea, since she never knew him to be relenting.  _'I think I know. It must be Naru…he must love her after all. I thought he was toying with her emotions again.'_  She dared herself to look at his facial expression, to make sure he wasn't patronizing her. To her surprise, she saw that he looked serious, and almost thoughtful. "I appreciate that, Nephrite," she managed to reply.

Nephrite gave a small, reserved smile. For the longest time, he didn't see her as a real threat, as she looked very weak and was no more than annoyingly persistent. He had to admit, though, she proved how tough she truly was when she destroyed most of his battle youma and gave him the fright of his life the previous night, when he was nearly fatally wounded by her tiara.  _'You have proven yourself to be a worthy adversary, Sailor Moon.'_

The two warriors stood facing each other. There was an awkward silence between them. Luckily, Nephrite's trio of female henchwomen appeared before things could get  _too_  awkward.

"Master Nephrite, we have come to warn you about something very disturbing," said Ruby in a rush. "It seems Zoisite and some youma of his are up to no good. They are going to kidnap—"

Before Ruby could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a voice crying, "Nephrite-sama, help me please!"

' _That's Naru-san's voice!'_ The star shitennou looked troubled. He realized Ruby was trying to tell him Zoisite had planned to have Naru kidnapped. He recalled Zoisite vowing revenge on him. His expression turned into a scowl when he realized what Zoisite's plot of revenge involved—using Naru as bait to get to him.  _'Such cowardice…or perhaps he knows he cannot win against me. Either way, I will not tolerate this!'_  He made an effort to soften his scowl, and looked at the senshi of the moon. "I have some business to attend to, but rest assured our paths will cross again." He and his youma teleported away.

' _I guess it's safe to say my wish on the shooting star worked after all,'_  thought Moon.  _'I noticed he didn't attack me, even though it seemed like he was going to at first.'_  She also noticed it was the first relatively civil conversation she had with him.  _'Maybe next time I see him, we will start to become friends…speaking of friends, I'd better go find Luna and see what happened to Naru-chan…I had almost forgotten I was supposed to be looking for her until I heard her scream.'_  The blonde could not bear the thought of her best friend being hurt. She clenched her fist.  _'Those creeps will pay if they try anything with her.'_ She ran off to see if she could find her feline guardian.

Luna had just arrived at the Osa.P place a few moments ago. She began to feel an extremely evil vibe nearby, prompting her to look up. Housenka was soaring through the air, with a bubble surrounding her, but she was not alone. She was holding a figure tightly around the abdomen.

The feline was filled with horror once the youma flew closer and she got a good look at the person. "Oh no, it's Naru! I have to alert the senshi right away." She didn't know what exactly the youma had in mind for the red head, but she had a bad feeling, considering how ruthless the Dark Kingdom agents could be.  _'Sailor Moon had better hurry up…the slowpoke.'_

Nephrite and his trio arrived in Naru's room, desperate to stop the perpetrator from getting away with the underhanded scheme of kidnapping her. However, the room was empty.

"Oh no! She's gone! We're too late!" yelled Ruby.  _'Whoever took her was certainly fast. Not that it'll change anything.'_

"Dang, the sisters were too fast for us!" moaned Yukari. "Who knows what they will do to her now?"

Miki gave her sister a look. "Yukari, don't say that. Your pessimism isn't helping at all. Master Nephrite could be trying to devise a plan."

Upon hearing that, Yukari put her hands to her mouth. She didn't want to risk aggravating Nephrite, as he was probably more stressed than any of them. "Sorry. I guess I'm a bit tense."

Miki gave Yukari an understanding look. "So am I. But if Naru will be saved, try to refrain from panicking."

Ruby saw a small piece of paper lying on the bed. "Look. It appears to be a note of some kind. Maybe it explains Naru-san's whereabouts."  _'It had better, if those wenches know what's good for them.'_

Nephrite picked up the piece of paper his underling pointed out.  _'Last warning. Hand over your kurozuishou if you wish for Naru's life to be spared,'_  it read.  _'Zoisite's minions must have left this behind. Such an insolent fool. Does he honestly think I will ever surrender to him?'_ An image of Naru laughing and running towards him appeared in his mind. There was no way he was going to allow such a fragile soul with a radiant smile be harmed over something as priceless as a stone. In his anger, he crumpled the ransom note and created a ball of flames in his hand, thus burning the note.

"Master Nephrite, what's the matter?" asked Miki. "What did the note say?"  _'I'm guessing it was something out of line, based on his reaction.'_

Nephrite looked grim as he answered, "My kurozuishou in exchange for Naru's life." Just thinking of the demand made his blood boil.

Ruby pressed her lips together, resisting the urge to let out obscenities, which she didn't want to do in front of her master, so she opted to just hold her tongue. She growled angrily.

"What the hell?!" blared Miki. "You don't have to give him anything!" She could feel her nerves twitching.  _'If only Zoisite were in this room...next time I see him I'm gonna electrocute him to pieces.'_  Realizing her outburst, she stopped and tightly crossed her arms across her chest.

There were so many insulting comments Yukari wanted to make about Zoisite, but she was trying to keep her cool for once. "Um Master, I am sure it will be a piece of cake for you to rescue the girl, but do you want us to come with you? I mean, just in case this is a trap so we can strike if we have to."

Nephrite knew it was possible this was a trap being set for him, but he had to take the chance. However, he didn't want his youma to be exposed to it. On the other hand, he found her concern valid and thought a little bit of help would be nice, just in case. "Yes, but remain hidden. It is a possibility Zoisite has similar plans for you as well."

Ruby nodded, hearing Suzuran ask about getting rid of her and the twins. "Understood."

The Plant Sisters held Naru captive at an abandoned nightclub called Rag Time, which was so run down it would have to undergo major renovation for future use. Housenka had made Naru kneel down, spread both arms out and she bound them at the wrists to an overturned table.

Guarding the girl was simple, yet the sisters were starting to become bored out of their minds since she did nothing but quiver in fear. They were ready for some action.

Grape impatiently tapped her foot. "Come on, Nephrite, what's the hold up? Are you trying to make me go to sleep from boredom?"

Housenka looked at her hostage with disdain, unable to believe someone as powerful as Nephrite would give someone so fragile and defenseless the time of day. "Do you honestly think he will show up for some wimpy little human?"

"Ha! If he doesn't, we will just have to kill her, won't we?" Grape chuckled softly to herself.  _'Not that it would be much fun, considering how simple it would be to slay her.'_

Naru overheard the taunts, which worried her more.  _'Nephrite, are you coming to save me soon? These ladies are so creepy. I know you can defeat them.'_  She shuddered at the thought of being killed by them. Not to mention the position her arms were in put a strain on her shoulders.  _'Please hurry, Nephrite-sama. I don't know how much my shoulders can take.'_

Suzuran looked at the red head with false pity. "Look, the poor sweetheart is frightened. It's a shame we have to destroy her, hahaha!" She sensed a familiar force and looked up.

Nephrite finally showed up, walking down the old stairs. He gazed at the sisters with contempt.  _'Worthless underlings…your powers are impressive but neither of you are a match for me. Zoisite was a fool to send you after me.'_ He spotted a frightened Naru. It pained him to see her in that condition and he was filled with more fury than before, but he tried to control his anger as it could get in the way.

The sisters returned his gaze.  _'So you finally decided to show up, Nephrite,'_  thought Grape.  _'However, it will be the last mistake you'll ever make.'_  Housenka stood with her legs wide apart, ready to fight.

"Nephrite-sama, look out!" cried Naru, when she saw her kidnapper preparing to attack.

"Die, you traitor!" Housenka spat, launching a barrage of small red bombs.

Naru's words had barely entered Nephrite's mind in time, but he saw the assault coming and avoided the explosion by leaping off the stairs, high into the air. Suzuran shot distortion waves from her hands, which didn't faze him enough to cause pain and dizziness, but the defense attack decreased the momentum and amplitude in the leap he made to dodge the bombs. As a result, he crunched down on the right ankle when he landed and nearly stumbled. He was able to prevent it by crouching down on one knee.

Housenka saw the near stumble and cackled with delight. "Look at the all powerful Nephrite now!" she mocked. "I thought you would be a stronger foe than this, but I guess I overestimated your abilities!" The youma shot more grenades at him, hoping she would get him this time. He scooted out of the way just in time. It was then he began to feel a dull throbbing in the ankle, though only slightly.

"Grrr, you little upstart! You won't escape my attack this time!"  _'This guy seems even more powerful than Master Zoisite described. And this is a better plan than what we had in mind.'_  She placed both arms above her head, preparing to launch more grenades.

Housenka's taunting at the near fall incensed Nephrite, mostly because in her own obnoxious way, she was correct. He was generally much more agile and precise than what he just showed. The fact that a defense attack caused his little mishap was unacceptable.  _'You won't be amused for much longer.'_  The star shitennou conjured his star sword, and charged at Housenka. He slid the blade of the sword across her waist before she could launch another volley of her projectiles. She instantly turned into dust. Next, he lunged at Suzuran, stabbed her in the abdomen and made a vertical slice of her body.

' _Don't worry sisters, I will avenge you both.'_ Grape extended her thorn arm at Nephrite, but he sped past the arm, forcing her to retract it. Once he was positive he had her distracted and was close enough, he chopped off her thorn arm at the shoulder, making sure it wouldn't be able to extend anymore. This caused her great pain and the wounded area began to bleed profusely. She clutched at the area where her arm used to be.

"Aaaah! My precious vine arm!" cried the youma in a fit of rage. "You'll be sorry!"

"I don't think so." Nephrite slit her throat, causing blood to gush out and he stepped away to keep his uniform from being soiled. He slid the blade of his weapon across her upper body for the final blow.

Naru had an awed expression on her face. The fight had left her speechless. She had seen a sample of Nephrite's power, but she had no idea she was merely seeing a small sample.  _'He's really good at wielding a sword, too. I'm just glad he did all that to protect me.'_

Nephrite reached into his pocket and pulled out his kurozuishou, held it up and crushed it in his hand. He no longer wanted it and he certainly wasn't going to allow his rival to keep nagging him for it. He let the shards of the shattered crystal drop to the floor. He went over to the red head girl, and gazed lovingly into her eyes for awhile. He carefully sliced the ropes that bound her wrists and made the sword disappear. He picked her up and carried her out of the run down nightclub.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Nephrite's trio of youma appeared from hiding as they spotted him coming out of the building. As happy as the women were that they were not needed, they were still glad they got to witness the destruction of the Plant Sisters. They walked side by side, next to him. "Great job, Master Nephrite!" Yukari congratulated him. "That was classic!"

"Yes," agreed Miki. "That should teach Zoisite a lesson and then some."

"I imagine the battle was a total waste of your time, but at least it didn't take long," commented Ruby.

"I appreciate your support, girls." Nephrite did find the sisters to be somewhat unworthy opponents even with their unique abilities, but if putting them away was what it took to save Naru, so be it. As much as he would have liked to think he taught Zoisite a lesson in the process, he couldn't be too sure, depending on the sakura's persistence.

"What are you going to do about the kurozuishou?" asked Yukari. "I am certain he will come later to get his greedy paws on it, since he knows you no longer have any use for it. Or even worse, kill you for it, since his youma failed."

"I have been aware of that, which is why I disposed of it."

"Great thinking, sir," said Ruby. "Now if Zoisite wants a black crystal, he will have to have the witch queen make one for him."  _'That'll teach him not to mess with Master Nephrite.'_

Nephrite and the henchwomen were passing a park and were almost back at Naru's place. As Nephrite approached the apartment, the youma slowed down, intending to give the couple some time to themselves.

"We'll be right out here if you need us for anything," said Yukari.

"All right." Nephrite teleported into Naru's bedroom and gently put her down.

"Thank you for saving me, Nephrite-sama," said the young girl, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. It felt so good to be in the safety of her bedroom once again, even though she wasn't sure how she would go back to sleep.  _'Oh his chest feels so warm…I can listen to the sound of his heart beating all day.'_

The chestnut haired young man was a bit taken aback by Naru's sudden display of affection, but relaxed and cradled her. "It is the least I can do after having deceived you ever since I met you. I do not wish to continue lying to you."

"I know." Naru embraced him again and looked into his eyes. "You have shown me you really do have a good heart. As long as we're together, everything will be all right."

' _Huh? It seems I have much to learn from this girl.'_ Nephrite tried not to show pain on his face as his ankle had begun to hurt—a lot.

Naru thought of what she meant to ask Nephrite, now that they were alone. She had been worried when she saw his rough landing back at the fight and she noticed something had seemed off about the way he was walking whilst he was carrying her back home. It seemed to her like he was trying his hardest not to walk with a noticeable limp. "Nephrite-sama? May I ask you something?"

"Hmm?" Nephrite sat on the edge of the bed. He could take being on his feet no longer, with the ailing ankle. "What is it?"

Naru thought of the best way to approach the question.  _'Just come out with it.'_ "Um, I noticed during your fight with those creepy ladies, you landed funny and nearly fell. Are you hurting?"

The reformed shitennou could see a look of concern etched on the girl's face. He didn't want to worry her, and he was never one to make a big deal over a stupid injury, although the cause of it angered him. But he had promised to be truthful to her from now on. "A bit. It's only my ankle."

"I thought so."  _'If he didn't hurt his ankle after a landing like that, I would be shocked. To think that it only happened on my account. I hope my efforts take at least some of his pain away.'_  "Take off your boot. I'll have a look at it."

Nephrite removed the boot as he was instructed with some difficulty, slightly wincing at the pain. He rested his leg on the bed for Naru to examine. She sat across from him and rolled down the sock so she could take a look. Sure enough, there was some swelling as well as a small bruise, which she couldn't help but wince at.

' _Ouch. No wonder it hurts,'_  thought the red head as she gently massaged it. She proceeded to rip a piece of cloth from her pajama top. She wrapped it around the injured area and tied it, tightly enough so it was secure but not to the extent where he would feel even more pain. "There. Maybe you can soak it or something."

"Thank you, Naru." Nephrite swung his leg over, retrieved his boot and stood up gingerly. It was still very sore but bearable. Right now, a soak in a whirlpool bath did sound good. He wondered if maybe he should go to the hospital, but decided against it, unless the pain didn't subside. He bent over, gave Naru a quick one armed hug and disappeared from the room.

' _Oh Nephrite…I hope you'll be all right.'_  Naru crawled under the covers to see if she could try going back to sleep.

Ruby and the twins were waiting for their master by the rosebush. They had noticed him limping slightly after leaving the nightclub so they were not surprised to see him with one shoe off.  _'It must be really hurting.'_

"Ruby, please, watch over Naru," said Nephrite. "There is a chance Zoisite will return for her."

Ruby nodded, knowing Zoisite returning was a huge possibility, and she couldn't have that. "You got it, sir." Inwardly, she was smiling as this would be her chance to get to know Naru better. She teleported away.

"I am sure Naru-san will be in good hands with her," said Miki as she watched Ruby go. She and Yukari wandered over to Nephrite and wrapped their arms around his broad shoulders. "Hang onto my shoulder," Miki instructed Nephrite.

Nephrite looked bewildered, but had an idea of where Miki was going with this. She was obviously trying to make teleporting easier for him under the circumstances. He placed an arm around her shoulder like she told him to, and teleported with them to the mansion.

Naru was still very much wide awake, despite the time of night it was. The recent turn of events left her feeling mentally exhausted, and was weighing heavily on her mind. She just lay there, tossing and turning.  _'Sheesh, I'm too young to have insomnia.'_

"You're having trouble sleeping, aren't you?" asked Ruby, noticing Naru's restless state.

Naru nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden voice. She sat up and looked around the room.  _'Oh gosh I hope it's not another one of those evil creatures.'_  She saw Ruby sitting just a few feet from her. "Oh, it's you!" she said, relieved. "What are you doing here?"  _'Not that I'm complaining or anything. I could use the company after what happened tonight.'_

"Master Nephrite has asked me to stay with you," answered the red head youma.

"Oh." As much as Naru would have loved it if Nephrite was there, she decided Ruby was safe. After all, the young woman had been nice enough to her the previous night. She could also tell Ruby and the twins had a good relationship with Nephrite based on the conversation they had whilst he was bringing her home. Surely they would honor a request involving her. Besides, if Nephrite was there and her mother saw, she wasn't sure how she would explain his presence to her mom. "To answer your earlier question, yes, I guess I am having trouble sleeping. There is so much on my mind."

"Do you care to tell me about it?" asked Ruby. She paused, realizing Naru might not be too keen on confiding her innermost feelings to someone who was still practically a stranger to her. "Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to, but just know I am here to listen to whatever is troubling you."

Naru hesitated, wondering if she should tell Ruby what she had been thinking about, considering she still didn't know the woman very well, although she wanted to get to know her. Not to mention she was someone who used to be one of the evil creatures. ' _Come on, it won't be so bad. Remember, she has known Nephrite for much longer than you have and it'll be good to get your feelings off your chest.'_  She looked at Ruby from the corner of her eye. "Well, I'm just worried about Nephrite-sama. I hope he'll be all right again soon. "

"Of course." Ruby wasn't surprised to hear that. She knew how deeply the young girl cared for her master and didn't like to see him hurt. "I am sure he will be fine in no time at all, hun. It is probably no more than a sprain."

"I hope that's all it is." The mere thought that it happened on her account still bothered her, but she decided not to reveal it right then. There was also something else she had wanted to ask him, but she didn't think it was the right time. "This may sound silly of me, but I am scared another evil creature will come after me." She hoped Ruby wouldn't scoff at her for being wimpy, but she couldn't help it. The close call she had with the Plant Sisters was enough to give anyone nightmares.

"Not to worry. I will see to it that it doesn't happen." Ruby couldn't help but pity the girl. She was so innocent, yet so helpless in all of this. The only thing she wanted to do was show her sisterly side by repaying her for saving Nephrite and protecting her in any way she could.  _'Come to think of it, she could practically be my younger sister.'_

"Thank you so much. It means so much to me." Naru was beginning to feel at ease with Ruby.

"Don't mention it. Now try and get some sleep. You have been through a lot today. If you are still worried about Master Nephrite, I can take you to see him tomorrow if you like."

"All right, thanks. I'd like that very much."  _'Hopefully by then his ankle will have stopped hurting so much.'_  Feeling as if some of the weight had been lifted off, Naru crawled back under the covers.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Zoisite sat in the garden, outside of the castle he shared with Kunzite and crossed his arms, sulking. He had taken out his bad mood on a bunch of black crows that had flown at him. Although it had felt good to hear the cries of anguish from one of his most loathed creatures, it did little to soothe his anger at being outsmarted by his rival once again.

 _‘Oh, where is Kunzite-sama? I need him with me now.’_ He so longed to feel the arms of his mentor around him, and he was sure the older man would give him helpful advice on what he should do about the situation. He was at such a loss for what to do.

The sakura king was about to leave the garden to see if he could find Kunzite, but before he could, he felt a hand touching his shoulder. It made him feel warmth that only one person was capable of making him feel. He glanced up and saw the white haired young man standing over him. He looked into his icy pale-blue eyes. “Oh, Kunzite-sama, I am so glad to see you,” he said, burying his head in the older man’s chest.

Kunzite held his pupil close. “It pains me to see you in distress, Zoisite,” he said.

“I know, Kunzite-sama, but I cannot help it.” The younger shitennou rested his hand on the older man’s chest.

“Tell me, what is troubling you this time?”

Zoisite looked into his mentor’s eyes. As soothing as his voice and touch was, he was determined never to cry like a baby again, for he had been taught it was one of the signs of weakness. He also knew it was one of the reasons Nephrite never took him seriously and he wanted to prove to the older shitennou that he did not have a jelly fish-like spine. “I am concerned…my trio of plant youma never returned with the kurozuishou and I do not even sense their life forces…which could only mean Nephrite must have assassinated them.” The thought of his youma dying at Nephrite’s hands made his blood boil, mostly because he had very little patience for failure. _‘Stupid incompetent fools! Everything I want done right I have to do myself,’_ thought Zoisite, clenching his fists and shaking with rage. True, the star shitennou was a fierce warrior, but the sakura king still felt the scheme should have worked as he had devised it when Nephrite was taken off guard. “Oh Kunzite-sama, why is it that I can never win against Nephrite?” He was aware of the fact that his tone was whiny and he had been trying his hardest not to sound that way, but he couldn’t help himself.

Kunzite did not know how to answer that, as in the past he was sure he and his pupil could have easily done away with the former dark general, but it was obvious he had made the mistake of underestimating his capabilities. It was not in his best interest to keep egging Zoisite on, but he had to be honest without risking making him feel worse. “Nephrite has proven to be more formidable than I thought. I fear you will be seriously hurt if you try to go after him yourself. Let him be for now and wait on Beryl-sama’s orders. “

As much as Zoisite was tired of waiting on Beryl’s orders, he knew Kunzite was right when he said something terrible could happen, hence why he preferred to send his youma to do his vile bidding rather than get his own hands dirty. He also knew Kunzite would never steer him wrong. _‘Perhaps Beryl will let me go after him, if I ask very nicely. Nephrite is more of a fool than I thought if he thinks I will allow him and his human wench to live in peace. I will dispose of those wretched youma of his, too.’_    Such a plan put a smile on the sakura king’s face. He chuckled softly to himself at the thought of causing as much misery to his greatest rival as he possibly could.

Kunzite’s head snapped up when he heard the chuckle. It was nice seeing a smile on Zoisite’s face but he couldn’t help but wonder what brought on the sudden change in mood, considering he had told the younger man something he was sure he didn’t want to hear. “Huh? What’s on your mind, Zoisite?”

“It’s nothing, really. I’m just happy you’re with me.”

“Likewise. I hear Beryl summoning us. It is not wise to keep her waiting. Let’s go.”

“Right.” Zoisite was sure he was in for a major chewing out and wasn’t looking forward to it, but with Kunzite by his side, he didn’t feel so nervous. He and Kunzite teleported to the witch queen’s throne room together.

(throne room)

Beryl sat on her throne as she waited for the two remaining shitennou to appear. She was in such a foul mood that her palace was filled with a dead silence. The lower ranked minions knew never to cross her. _‘Those two had better show up at once. I do not wish to be kept waiting.’_ If they tested her patience that day, she would not hesitate to let them feel of her wrath.

Surprisingly, Zoisite and Kunzite showed up in a timely manner. The evil woman suppressed a sigh of relief. _‘It seems these two are learning from Nephrite’s downfall.’_ The two men bowed respectfully. “You summoned us, my queen?” asked Kunzite.

Beryl looked at both henchmen before her, with a very serious expression on her face. “Yes. Although it is Zoisite I want to see, what I am about to say to him is something you should hear as well.”

Kunzite bowed again, while Zoisite asked, “What is it, your majesty?” He looked his queen in the eye, although he was afraid to just in case he was right and the queen would let him have it. His palms got sweaty and he squirmed a bit.

“It was quite brazen of you to go after Nephrite the way you did, considering his power, and without my permission, too. Because of your recklessness, you have failed to eliminate him.” Beryl wondered if she was going to have that problem with Zoisite when he became commander; the way he did certain things she never gave him permission to do.

Zoisite gulped. He had a feeling the queen was displeased with him, but it took him by surprise that it wasn’t for the reason he thought. He had figured Beryl would be pleased if he got rid of Nephrite as she had become extremely impatient with the star shitennou and thought he was doing her a favor. _‘How am I going to explain that to her?’_ Also, the fact that he was reminded about how Nephrite managed to outsmart him once again made him seethe with anger. “I know, my queen. I am very sorry. I just thought you wanted him disposed of for his defiance and blatant disloyalty. Please, give me a chance, and I will kill the traitor right away. “ He wasn’t sure how, but he would assassinate his rival even if he sacrificed his own life in order to do so.

Beryl considered this for a bit. If Nephrite had appeared before her, she would also put him to death for his treachery, but at the same time felt Zoisite was not capable of accomplishing such a task. “No, let him be for now. There are more important matters to deal with. Wait to see what he does. If he or his youma interfere with my plans, they will fall along with the pathetic human race.”

 _‘Exactly what Kunzite-sama said to do. ‘_ Although the sakura king wasn’t thrilled at the thought of more waiting, the idea of executing his arch nemesis along with the senshi and other earthlings sounded very good, as he would be killing two birds with one stone. _‘If I can destroy everyone, this will make me twice the general Nephrite ever was and Beryl will give me a big reward! I just need to think of an extremely elaborate plan.’_ Zoisite held back a chuckle at the thought of being ranked as high a shitennou as his lover and mentor, Kunzite. “As you wish, my queen,” he said, bowing.

“One more thing,” said Beryl, addressing both Zoisite and Kunzite with her eyes this time.

“Yes, your majesty?” asked Zoisite, looking at the witch queen with curious eyes.

Beryl gave the two young men a stern look as she warned them, “If you even _think_ about deserting the Dark Kingdom, you will be severely punished. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Queen Beryl-sama,” the two shitennou answered, and Zoisite added, “You needn’t worry about that. I would rather be turned into an ice sculpture than live among those human fools.”

A corner of the queen’s lip curled up a bit. “Good.”

Naru sat up in her bed, rubbed her eyes and took a glance at her clock. It read eleven thirty five. _‘Geez, it’s nearly noon.’_ She very rarely slept in that late, but it was to be expected considering how late it was when she finally had managed to fall asleep the previous night. _‘I guess Ruby must have already left…I don’t blame her…it is late, after all.’_ She looked around the room, and was about to get up and go to the bathroom to freshen up when she heard a female’s voice say, “Ah, you’re finally awake.”

The young teen was so startled she nearly fell over. She gripped her chest in order to cease her rapid heartbeat and glanced to her left, although she was afraid to, as she knew it could be one of Zoisite’s cronies waiting to kidnap her after she woke up. Thankfully, it wasn’t.  “Oh Ruby…you’re still here,” she said, relieved that it was her potential new friend and not some scary monster.

“Of course I am, Naru-san,” responded Ruby, giving the young girl an amused look. “You didn’t think I would leave you here all alone, after you went through such a horrific ordeal, did you?”

Naru looked sheepish. “No, I am just glad you are still here.” She was embarrassed to admit that she didn’t expect the youma to sit by her side for as long as she did. She imagined Ruby had lots of stuff waiting to be done. She wondered how long the red head youma had been awake or if she had even slept.

“Hmm.” Ruby wasn’t entirely sure what Naru meant, but she got the impression that the girl was grateful. “Did you sleep well?”

“No, not really. I had a nightmare that you had left and a man with blonde hair worn in a ponytail kidnapped me, tied me to a chair, and held a knife to my throat.”

Ruby shuddered at the thought of such a nightmare. _‘She must be talking about Zoisite…to hell with him and those annoying weed sisters, traumatizing an innocent human girl. I could just cut him into little pieces.’_ As disturbing as she found the nightmare to be, though, she had serious doubts that Zoisite would have the guts to do such things, hence why he opted to send his flunkies to do his dirty work for him. “I am sure you now see there is nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah.” Naru turned to face the older teenager.

“Aside from that, how are you feeling today?”

“Okay, I guess. I am still thinking about Nephrite-sama. I wonder how he’s doing right now.” She was still convinced that his little accident had happened on her account, and noticed he hadn’t said much to her before he had left. _‘Although he kept his cool about it, I could have seen from the look on his face that he was a bit angry…I should apologize to him.’_ But the question was, how should she find out? She had thoughts about calling him but decided the phone call would go too awkwardly. _‘Maybe I could visit him...Ruby had said she would take me there today if I wanted to see him. But I don’t feel comfortable asking her that yet.’_

Ruby wasn’t surprised to hear that. In fact, she had been wondering how Nephrite was dealing, too, as well as Miki and Yukari, since this had been her first time spending the night somewhere other than the mansion, and at an earthling’s home. _‘I hope he is taking care of his ankle...it seemed to hurt him very much. I trust that the twins are taking good care of him.’_ “Would you like to see him?”

Naru gave a small smile at the fact that Ruby had remembered. “Oh yes! I’ll go get ready right now. Thank you.” Of course even if Nephrite hadn’t gotten hurt, she still would have wanted to visit him as she enjoyed his company and wanted to get to know him more.

Ruby smiled. “Anytime, honey.”

Naru got some clean clothing to change into. Not wanting Ruby to be bored while waiting for her, she went over to her bookcase, pulled out a novel and handed it to the crimson haired young woman.

“Thank you.” Ruby examined the cover of the book. It certainly looked interesting. She wasn’t sure if she would like it, but felt it was a good way to pass the time.

“You’re welcome. I’ll be ready in twenty-five minutes. “ Naru got her bathrobe and went inside the bathroom, shut the door behind her and locked it. She could hardly wait to see Nephrite.

Meanwhile, the senshi were having a meeting over at the Hikawa Shrine. This was one meeting Usagi was almost glad to attend. She was eager to talk about what had transpired the previous night and it would also give her some time away from her annoying little brother for awhile. And she certainly hadn’t felt like tackling the bunch of homework waiting to be done, either.

There was a large plate filled with Japanese sweet cakes on the table. The smell of them was an overwhelming aroma that Usagi couldn’t resist. Her stomach had been growling the entire time she was walking over to the shrine. _‘Oh why does Rei have to torture me this way?’_ She wasted no time; she grabbed one of the cakes and started munching on it.

Luna groaned. “Oh Usagi…you really ought to learn to control your willpower.” _‘I must admit though, it is better than listening to her stomach growling.’_

“But I can’t help it. I’m so hungry. You expect me not to eat when something as delicious as cakes are in front of me?” The blonde grabbed another cake and started chowing down on it.

“Just don’t eat too many,” said Rei. “You’ll make yourself sick or get fat.” A part of her was annoyed with her grandfather for making so many to the extent where Usagi could afford to eat as much as she wanted to because there were too many for the 3 girls to share.

“Blah blah blah, I get the point. If you’re trying to spoil my fun, it isn’t going to work,” said the moon senshi in between bites.

“No, I’m only looking out for your best interest.”

“Guys, that’s enough,” said Ami firmly. Although the two teens were not having a catfight for once, she refused to let it get to that point. She watched as Luna climbed onto the table. “Luna, what is this meeting about? Is something wrong?”

“Yes, we have a potential crisis on our hands.”

“Oh, what’s the matter?” asked Rei, forgetting about Usagi and her voracious appetite. She was now all ears about what Luna had to say. _‘If Nephrite is behind whatever the problem is, I swear I will turn him into a charred cinder…after all, I didn’t get to teach him a lesson about nearly killing his energy victims when he drained their energy.’_

“Nephrite has discovered that Usagi is Sailor Moon and he knows her name is Usagi, too,” stated Luna grimly.

“What?!” Rei and Ami yelped.

“How did that happen?” asked Rei. She hoped the blonde hadn’t done anything stupid like tell the shitennou who she was, for that would prove she was not leader material. _‘However, if Luna makes Usagi step down as leader, it will give me a chance to prove what a great leader I can be. ‘_

Before Luna could answer, Usagi explained, “He had tricked me into transforming by twisting the road while I was walking to Naru-chan’s house. Please don’t be mad at me for transforming in front of him. It was the only way to get him to stop.” She didn’t have any regrets as she had done nothing wrong, so it would be a big blow if the other senshi plotted to mutiny—especially Rei.

 _‘Oh. That’s what happened.’_ Rei’s feelings of doubt and mistrust disappeared. _‘I wouldn’t put it past Nephrite to use that type of trickery.’_ She balled her hands into fists. _‘One day I will make him pay.’_

“Usagi, we’re not angry with you,” said Ami. “Nephrite had put you in a tight spot and so you had no choice but to do what you did.”

“Yeah, you’re too quick to jump to conclusions,” chimed the raven haired teen.

Usagi bristled with anger. “I learned that from you,” she muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Oh, never mind,” answered Usagi, not wanting to start an argument.

“Anyway, we just meant that Nephrite knowing your identity could spell disaster as he may have revealed that info to Queen Beryl. This would also give him the opportunity to come and attack you whenever he feels like,” said Rei. “You should have taught him a lesson for tricking you like that.”

Usagi breathed a sigh of relief that her friends were understanding about the matter, despite Rei’s harsh way of saying so. ”Believe me, Rei, those possibilities really scared me, but it turned out I didn’t have to fight as he assured me that he would keep my identity a secret. “

Rei looked at her friend as if she had lost her mind. “And you believed him? Geez, you are so gullible, it’s scary!”

Usagi pretended she didn’t hear the last comment and continued, “Well, he didn’t attack me like I thought he was going to. I believe he was only testing me when he did that. I honestly think he has begun to see the light.” She decided not to admit she had pleaded with the former dark general to not reveal her identity. She was still slightly embarrassed about that.

Rei could tell Jadeite not being able to turn over a new leaf was still weighing heavily on the blonde’s mind, through her words. “Hmph! I’ll only believe it when I see it.” She wasn’t willing to grant forgiveness that easily.

“Oh Rei, learn some forgiveness, would ya? When it seemed like Jadeite was willing to change, Beryl killed him before he could. I would hate for that to happen to Nephrite, too. He deserves a chance, considering that it is because of Naru’s love for him he has begun to change. “

Rei was about to argue with Usagi, but Ami interrupted by saying, “Rei, I understand your skepticism and do not blame you for it, but Usagi is right. Nephrite had rescued Naru last night and dealt with her kidnappers so we didn’t have to.”

“Yes, you’re right…” Rei wasn’t about to dispute the fact that Nephrite saved the red head, although she couldn’t help but wonder about his motive for doing so. _‘For all we know, he could be using her for something else.’_ “Even if it’s true that Nephrite has begun to change for the better, can the same be said for those weird ladies who surround him? What if they try to harm Naru or something?” _‘That cherry-haired lady better not have laid a finger on Naru last night or else.’_

Ami thought that was a tiny possibility, but decided to give the youma the benefit of the doubt. “I don’t think they would do that if they’re truly loyal to Nephrite. Judging from their words about Beryl at the Princess Diamond ball, they don’t seem to have any respect for her. I’m sure they will follow Nephrite’s orders and protect Naru if he wants them to.”

Rei considered what Ami said. She did recall when Miki had said Beryl was an idiot for sending Nephrite after the wrong crystal. “I suppose…however, we should still keep an eye on them and find out more information.”

“Definitely. Perhaps we will cross paths with them again soon. We could find out their true objectives then.”

Nephrite had just finished soaking his sore ankle in another whirlpool bath and was now on the couch in the den, watching music videos. It was something he rarely did as of late since he hadn’t had time to and he was very active—not a couch potato at all. But he was staying off his feet as much as he could so healing wouldn’t be delayed. He could still walk on the ankle as it was only twisted, but he didn’t think it was wise to overdo things. Just as he had expected, Miki and Yukari had been a good help when it came to helping him get around. He hoped things went smoothly while Ruby was watching over Naru. _‘Speaking of Ruby, she is awfully late.’_

Just then, he heard footsteps walking towards the den. He decreased the volume of the TV a bit. Ruby poked her head in the doorway. “Master Nephrite, I am home. I’m sorry if I have worried you. I have brought you a visitor. ”

While Ruby talked with Nephrite, Naru looked around the living room, at how it was decorated. _‘Oh my, so far the mansion is beautiful.’_ It wasn’t plain, nor was it as ostentatious as other rich people’s homes, yet she could tell the star king had a fondness for the finer things in life.

“Oh really?” The young man wondered if it was Naru. He could certainly use a visit from her right about now, to take his mind off of what had happened.

“Yes.” Ruby whispered into Naru’s ear, “You can go on in now.”

 _‘Whoops…I nearly forget why I was here. I’ll have to let Ruby take me on a tour of the mansion later.’_ “Okay. Thank you so much for bringing me here.”

“No problem.” Ruby decided to give the two some privacy, and went to see what her comrades were up to.

Naru entered the den, and spotted Nephrite sitting down on a large sofa. She walked over to him. “Hi, Nephrite-sama,” she greeted bashfully, sitting down next to him.

“Hello, Naru-san. It is a pleasure to be graced with your presence today. I trust you are well.”

“Yes I am. Thank you for asking. How about you? Does your ankle still hurt?”

“Not too much.” That was a welcoming change for the reformed dark general. He was afraid he would have had to go to the hospital and he wasn’t keen on the idea. “I truly appreciate your efforts.”

The young teen looked relieved to hear that. A part of her didn’t think her efforts to soothe his pain were good enough, although she had tried her best. “I’m so glad.” Her true feelings about the incident were beginning to become overwhelming. Tears stung at her eyes. _‘Just great.’_ She looked down at her feet so Nephrite wouldn’t see. No way was she going to cry like a baby in front of him…at least not for this.

Nephrite noticed Naru sounded a bit sad, and also seemed distracted in the sense that she had barely given him any eye contact. Not like her at all. “Naru-san? Is something wrong? Look at me.”

A teardrop fell from Naru’s eye and fell onto the carpet. She quickly wiped the tears away and looked up at her male companion, into his eyes. “Oh Nephrite, it’s just that you hurt yourself on my account. If you are angry about your injury, I want you to know I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

Knowing that the red head thought the mishap was her fault made Nephrite’s heart ache. He was indeed displeased about it, but not for the reason she thought. He placed an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. “It isn’t your fault, so please don’t think that. I will be all right.”

Naru certainly hoped so. She still wasn’t fully convinced she wasn’t to blame, but since he wasn’t angry with her, she would let it go. She decided to change the subject. “You know, right downtown, there is a café that serves delicious chocolate parfaits.”

“Chocolate parfaits?” repeated Nephrite. He had never had them before, but the name definitely rang a bell and he had meant to try the rich dessert to see if it was as good as the cheesecakes he liked so much.

“Yes. I’m not sure if you ever had one or not, but it has always been a dream of mine to share it with you. Do you think it will ever happen?”

This was something Nephrite couldn’t pass up. Not only would he get to try something new, but he would also get to know the girl even better, which he wanted very much. “Sure thing. Let’s do it.”

Naru’s feelings of guilt disappeared and her eyes lit up. “Oh! I can’t wait!!” She was sure setting an exact date wouldn’t be too hard for Nephrite, seeing that he was no longer working for the Dark Kingdom.

Yukari came out of the kitchen for a second to see how her master and Naru were doing. She smiled as she saw them so close to each other. _‘Oh Master Nephrite looks so content…I will never be able to thank Naru-san enough for bringing so much happiness into his life.’_


	4. Chapter 4

Usagi was racing to school, desperately trying to at least make it before the bell rang. _‘Oh why does this always happen to me?? Thank God it’s Friday again!‘_ She was running so fast she dropped the satchel that contained her lunch and was out of breath.   She picked it up and continued running, bumping into some people. She nearly jumped a mile when she heard a couple of gruff male voices yell, “Watch where you’re going, you big oaf!” and gave a yelp of pain when they shoved her down. Trembling and whimpering, she slowly looked up to see who she had bumped into. There were three young men glaring down at her. And they were tall, imposing and very muscular, enough to snap people smaller than them like twigs. _‘Oh great. Outrunning these guys will be tough…they look like thugs. Something tells me that’s what they are.’_

The blonde stared up at the men, still trembling. Their facial expressions were so fierce she was almost afraid to say anything to them. But she knew she had to find some way to appease them before things got extremely ugly. “I’m so sorry,” she managed to squeak out.

“Sorry isn’t good enough!” The three men studied the young teen girl sitting on the ground. They sneered at her quivering form. “What do you say we have some fun with her?” suggested one of them.

“Good idea!” answered another thug. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well based on her school uniform she has to be the age of consent. She certainly looks easy, even though she probably won’t give us much pleasure. Not that we need it.”

“No we don’t need it.” The young man started to smirk. _‘I know where he is going with this, and I like it.’_

The third gentleman (used loosely) had a smirk on his face as well. “Let’s do it!” He and his pals started to approach Usagi.

Usagi didn’t like where the men’s conversation was going, nor did she like the way they were looking at her. She knew what they planned to do—take her virginity. _‘I’d better get a move on. At this rate not only will I be in detention forever, but I’m about to become a sex slave to these creeps.’_ Having been frozen by fear before, she could feel a bit of adrenaline inside of her that was enough to give her the strength to rise to her feet. She rubbed her sore backside and marched away as fast as she could, but one of the three men blocked her way and grabbed her, tightly wrapping his arm around her neck. “Going somewhere?” he asked with a smirk.

“Yes!” snapped the young girl. “Now let go of me, you creep!!” She squirmed and struggled to free herself, but it was no use for he was much too strong.

The young man and his buddies just laughed at the blonde. “Or else what? You don’t have the guts to do anything about it! If I were you I would keep my mouth shut and behave before things really get ugly!”

“You won’t get away with this!” Usagi bit the thug’s arm as hard as she could and stepped on his foot just as hard, forcing him to let go of her. He gave a yelp of pain and started hopping around, glowering at her.

Usagi turned to run whilst the man was reeling from her little assault, but the two other bullies grabbed her in a chokehold once again. _‘Oh no, not again!’_ She knew it was no use trying to escape since there were two of them, and both were much stronger than her.

“So you wanna play rough, huh? Well we’ll show you what we do to feisty girls like you!” Before Usagi could say anything, one of the men kicked her in the shin, causing her to land on her rear end once again. The other man kicked her in the middle of her back, which caused her to cry out in pain. He lifted his foot, about to stomp on her back when all of a sudden he felt a rock hitting him in the back of his head and a husky female’s voice yelling, “You’ve got some nerve pushing a young girl around!” He swore loudly and turned around to see who it was. Standing there was a girl by the name of Makoto who had long brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail, dressed in a uniform consisting of a white shirt and a tan colored skirt. The thugs glowered at her. “Who the hell are you?”

Makoto came closer, tossing the rock she was holding into the air and catching it. “All you need to know is that I am someone who despises bullies! If I were you, I’d get away from that girl before you end up in a world of hurt!!”

Usagi eyed this unknown person, who was apparently her rescuer judging from her words. One thing she noticed about the girl was that she was fairly tall, slightly taller than her mother Ikuko. She quickly looked away before the girl lashed out at her for the scrutiny.

The three bullies shot the brunette girl a murderous glare. “Another wench who thinks she’s tough,” mocked one of them.

“Yeah. We need to show her what being tough is all about,” said the second bully. He and his two friends looked the girl up and down, smirking and licking their lips. _‘I must admit this chick is a cutie. Having fun with her would be icing on the cake.’_

Makoto felt all of the stares from the bullies and stared back at them. “Why don’t you guys take a picture? It’ll last longer. “

“Oooh a sharp tongue, it’s a real turn on...I like it,” said the first bully.

“I should tell you the same thing for meddling in our business!” retorted the second bully. “However, just to show you what nice guys we are, we’ll spare you and not teach you a lesson for that stunt you pulled just a moment ago. “ He slowly trotted over to Makoto and pulled her by the shirt collar. “You’re so cute. Why don’t you show me a good time, hmm babe?”

Makoto’s emerald colored eyes narrowed angrily as the comment lit a fuse. _‘Ugh! His touch is so filthy! I wanna scrub my skin clean!’_ “I sure as hell am not your babe! Take your filthy, grimy paws off of me!!” She grabbed the thug by his arm and threw him down, then turned to the other two bullies and body slammed them too. They let out groans of pain as they landed on their backsides. Their feelings of smugness were immediately replaced with dread as she approached them with a glare on her face.

”Now apologize to this young lady right now and remove your sorry carcasses or else it’ll be worse!!” threatened Makoto.

The three bullies got up, rubbed their backsides, yelled an apology to Usagi and ran away as fast as they could before the brunette could say anything else.

Makoto stared after the men, giving a sigh of exasperation. _‘Such losers.’_ She then walked over to Usagi, who was still sitting on the ground. She knelt down in front of her. “Hey there. Are you all right?”

Usagi glanced up at Makoto and saw that her eyes were full of concern and kindness despite her feisty exterior. _‘I definitely should thank her for saving me.’_ She also noticed the girl’s uniform. _‘I wonder what school she is from...I will need her to help me get to school but I don’t want to make her late.’_ “I have felt better...my back is killing me.” She let out a groan of pain, and rubbed her sore lower back.

Makoto’s blood boiled with rage as she knew who the culprits were. _‘If I ever see those thugs again, they’ll be sorry!’_ She proceeded to tremble with rage, but took a few deep breaths to calm down. “Oh wow. I guess those good-for-nothing scumbags must have done quite a number on you.”

Usagi gave a bitter chuckle. “Yeah...they did. And what’s worse is I am extremely late for school. I was already running late before I ran into them.” She started shaking uncontrollably, as if she were having a panic attack. “Miss Haruna will kill me! How will I convince her I have a very good excuse for being late this time?”

Makoto rested a hand on the blonde girl’s shoulder, trying to give her a sense of reassurance. “Calm down. Don’t worry so much. I’ll help you. “

Usagi’s eyes brightened a bit and she gradually stopped trembling. “You will? Thank you!”

“Don’t sweat it. Which school do you go to?”

“Juuban Junior High. “

Makoto smiled slightly. “Well, you’re in luck because that’s where I am headed to. I’m a new exchange student there.”

“Awesome!” That was a relief for Usagi because she hated the thought of making Makoto late. _‘There’s one thing that puzzles me though. If she will be going to my school from now on, how come she’s wearing the uniform from her old school? I’ll have to ask her about that, even though curiosity kills the cat.’_

Makoto’s smile faded and she looked serious. “I guess. Now come on and try to get up. I’ll help you.” She held out her hand for Usagi to take.

“Okay…” Usagi wasn’t sure about this, since the injury was bad enough while she was sitting down, but she knew she had to if she wanted to get to school. She picked up her small satchel and placed it in a pocket of her backpack. _‘My food must be all mushy by now. Fabulous.’_ She took Makoto’s hand and slowly stood up. A sharp pain tore through her lumbar muscles, making her cry out in pain. _‘I wish I could stay home today. Those chairs in the classroom will only make my back worse.’_ Just standing in one place was a chore for her and it was all she could do not to collapse from the pain.

Makoto frowned, realizing Usagi was in no condition to walk to school. “Climb up on my back. I’ll carry you. “

Mystified, the moon senshi painstakingly did as she was told. _‘This girl must be really strong in order to offer to do something like that.’_

With very little difficulty, the brunette pulled Usagi onto her back by the knees. “Be sure to hold on tight. You wouldn’t want to fall off, especially in your condition. “

“Oh of course not!” quipped Usagi, wrapping her arms around Makoto’s neck, holding on tightly, but not to the extent where she would strangle the girl.

Makoto proceeded to walk the remainder of the way to school, her pace slower than usual with Usagi on her back. _‘Ugh, this girl is kind of heavy. If I weren’t so strong my back would also be out of commission.’_ She had been so intent on rescuing the blonde that she neglected to give a proper introduction. _‘Gee, where are my manners?’_ “By the way, my name is Makoto. Makoto Kino.”

“Oh nice to meet you. I’m Usagi Tsukino. Thanks again for saving me and going through all this trouble to help me get to school.”

Makoto briefly turned around, giving Usagi a “don’t be silly” look. “It’s no problem at all. I always help someone who’s in need.”

“Oh, me too. I’ll do the same for you, when the time comes.” Usagi paused, thinking of a way she could ask Makoto about her uniform without sounding nosy or offensive. “Um, Mako-chan? May I ask you something?”

 _‘Mako-chan. Only my close friends call me that. Does it mean she considers me a friend?’_ Makoto smiled at the thought of being Usagi’s friend already, and then looked thoughtful. “Sure. What is it?”

“If you’ll be attending the same school as me, how come you’re wearing a different uniform?” asked Usagi.

Makoto’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she explained, “There doesn’t seem to be any uniforms for girls who are five feet six inches tall, which is my height.”

“Oh ok. Gotcha.” _‘Poor girl. I hope she doesn’t get teased too much. As much as I think my height is too short for my age, in this case I don’t feel so bad.’_ Usagi thought of other questions she wanted to ask Makoto. There were lots, but she thought they could wait. She closed her eyes and passed out from the pain.

Soon, Makoto arrived at school. _‘I’d better take Usagi to see the nurse. She can’t be in class with her back like this.’_ She entered the office where the principal was waiting.

“Ah, Ms. Kino. I have been expecting you, “said the principal, smiling. “I see you also have Ms. Tsukino with you as well. She is known for her tardiness.”

“So I have noticed. However, she does have a good excuse this time. She was apparently attacked by bullies and I had to rescue her. Nothing too serious but she did sustain a back injury and is in extreme pain.”

The older man adjusted his glasses, looking thoughtful. “I see. Well under those circumstances, I suppose I could let her lateness slide. “

Makoto looked relieved that the principal was lenient. She hated for the blonde to end up in detention for being late when there were circumstances beyond her control. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” answered the principal. “Will you be able to find your classroom all right?”

“Yes, I think I can. But I need to know where the school infirmary is.”

The principal nodded. “Of course. It’s the first door to your left.”

“All right. Thank you again.” Makoto exited the office with Usagi in tow.

For the first time in a couple of months, Ruby made herself invisible and appeared in Beryl’s throne room to spy on the witch queen again, only this time it would be for a better cause. She wanted to see what was next on the agenda as well as what she, her comrades and Nephrite would be up against so they could find a way to help the senshi and still survive deserting the Dark Kingdom. She grinned to herself, proud of the fact that she had entered Beryl’s throne room invisible many times and her presence had never been detected. _‘I intend to keep it that way, too.’_

Having warned Zoisite and Kunzite about what their fates would be if they committed treason, Beryl decided it was time to move on to more important matters—the next phase in her plan. She remembered she still had the energy Nephrite had managed to gather during his mission, which would give Queen Metallia an immense power boost. Despite her anger towards the reformed shitennou for his treachery, she was secretly grateful to him. _‘I must admit, I commend him for his accomplishments although he has proven to be just as worthless as his predecessor, Jadeite. He’s a fool if he thinks I will allow him to thwart my plans.’_ She grabbed the ball of gathered energy and fed it to the evil entity. Metallia, who had long been dormant, woke up to the extent where she would be able to communicate with Beryl and her minions.

The wicked queen knelt down in respect for her great leader. “My master, after 1000 years of dormancy, you are awake. It is I, Queen Beryl, who have come to seek your wisdom in order to obtain the ginzuishou. I am about to move on to the next phase in our plan to destroy the universe. I regret to inform you that one of your most faithful servants Nephrite, along with his worthless underlings, has deserted the Dark Kingdom. “

The mass of darkness pulsated as if to show how enraged she was. “I am quite aware of Nephrite’s treachery, Beryl. However, assassinating him would take a lot of energy and must be done methodically. It is not to be your main priority right now.”

Beryl nodded, recalling she had told Kunzite and Zoisite the exact same thing—there were more important matters to worry about.

“In regards to the next phase of the plan, it is time to awake the seven shadow warriors who have been sealed away 1000 years ago. We will need them in our quest to destroy this miserable planet!”

“Of course.” The red head queen gripped at her crystal ball tightly as if to show how displeased she was that Queen Serenity managed to lock her and the minions away before she could finish what she started those years ago. She had an idea of what had happened to seven warriors, considering that all the moon kingdom inhabitants had been reborn on earth. “So how do I go about this?”

Metallia seemingly smiled. “The ginzuishou has broken into smaller fragments. You will have to find seven earthlings that possess nijizuishou in them. Once all seven nijizuishou are gathered together, they will combine to form the legendary ginzuishou. “  


The corner of Beryl’s lips curled into a smile. For the first time in millennia she felt like she was making progress in the mission. _‘I think I know just what I need to do in order to obtain the seven nijizuishou. However, finding someone competent enough to accomplish the task is another story. Hopefully Zoisite will do an exceptional job, for he has shown his potential and I have no choice but to promote him. I trust that Kunzite will give him words of wisdom when necessary.’_ “I thank you, my master.”

 

“Of course. I wish you success.”

 

“Thank you. I promise you won’t have to wait for too much longer. I am losing patience as well.” Queen Beryl gave an evil grin. _‘If Kunzite and Zoisite fail at this mission they will face severe consequences.’_ “Zoisite! Kunzite! Present yourselves!”

 

The two young men appeared before the queen and bowed respectfully. “Yes Queen Beryl-sama?” asked Zoisite, looking very humble and sweet.

 

Beryl smiled at Zoisite’s eagerness. _‘Perhaps he won’t be such a challenge to control after all.’_ “Well well, I have excellent news that I know you will be pleased to hear. First of all, due to Nephrite’s treachery, your rank as shitennou in training will be promoted to a full-fledged shitennou. However, you will still have Kunzite as your mentor, for you have not learned all the ways of the shitennou yet.”

 

Zoisite started to smile. This was the moment he had been waiting for, to be given the recognition he felt he deserved. Although he usually felt patronized when his rather low-ranked position was pointed out, he didn’t this time, for he _loved_ Kunzite’s mentorship and considered it an honor to be working alongside him. “Thank you, my queen. I pledge my word that I will do my best to succeed.”

 

Beryl gave Zoisite a tiny smile. After awhile, her smile faltered and turned into a stern expression. “I will hold you to that, Zoisite. However, I will not hesitate to punish you if you fail me.”

 

It was all Zoisite could do not to shudder at the thought of facing Beryl’s wrath. He bit his lip to hold back a gulp and gave another respectful bow. “Yes, Queen Beryl-sama.”

 

“Good...now onto important business. I am happy to say we’re on the way to finding the ginzuishou after all this time. I have consulted our great leader, and she has given me a clue. It turns out we had gone about it the wrong way. We must first find seven humans who possess nijizuishou among the people of Earth.”

 

Zoisite listened attentively, but had a confused expression on his face. “My queen, Earth is a vast planet with millions of people. It could take forever to find them.”

 

Beryl frowned heavily at the tawny-haired shitennou. “If you would just keep quiet and let me finish explaining, you will have the answer to your question.”

 

Zoisite nearly cringed at the hint of exasperation in Beryl’s voice. “I apologize, my queen.”

 

Beryl didn’t acknowledge the apology, but went on as if she were never interrupted. “Once the nijizuishou are extracted from these humans, the seven shadow warriors that fought alongside us during our attack on the moon kingdom will be free to wreak havoc once more.”

 

“But how can we free them?” inquired Zoisite. “Where are they now?”

 

Beryl scowled as she answered,” When we were banished here by that miserable Queen Serenity, she sent all of the fallen humans to Earth to be reborn.” She clenched her fist and grasped at her crystal ball as she thought of the humiliating defeat the queen of the moon had dealt her. _‘Sailor Moon won’t be so lucky once she faces me.’_ “You will need a special honing crystal in order to track them down.” She waved her hands around her crystal ball a bit, then placed her hands next to it, releasing a small cylinder shaped black crystal, which Zoisite caught with ease. “That kurozuishou is yours. It should easily help you with your task. I trust you know how to use it.”

 

“Of course. It will be a piece of cake to snatch the nijizuishou from those mortal imbeciles.” Zoisite smiled to himself, thinking about how he would work hard to be a better shitennou than Nephrite was. _‘Eat your heart out, Nephrite. You’re more foolish than I thought if you think you and your worthless underlings will live in peace.’_ He held up the kurozuishou in front of him. “Black crystal, I order you to show me the first nijizuishou carrier!” At the sound of the sakura king’s voice, the kurozuishou gave a bright glow, revealing an image of a young man with very short hair that was covered with a blue cap worn backwards. He wore a yellow shirt and blue jeans as well as glasses. “This man will be the first. I shall not fail you, my queen.”

 

Queen Beryl smiled one of her deadly smiles. “You had better not or there will be hell to pay. Proceed at once.”

 

“Thank you, my queen.” Zoisite gave one last respectful bow, and left with Kunzite to make plans.

 

Having gotten an idea of what the next part of the scheme would be, Ruby retreated back to the mansion just as discreetly as she had appeared in the throne room. As painful as it was for her to listen to Beryl, especially when the witch queen hinted Nephrite’s days were numbered, she had to stifle a giggle when Zoisite was berated for interrupting and when he sweated nervously. _‘I wonder what Master Nephrite will decide to do. As much as I would love to aid the senshi, I don’t think it would be a wise decision to do so openly.’_

 

 

Nephrite was in the planetarium with Miki and Yukari, waiting for Ruby to return and wondering what the Dark Kingdom was up to now, considering they hadn’t tried anything ever since he had killed off Zoisite’s youma to save Naru. Although he appreciated the peacefulness, he didn’t trust it since they could be plotting against him and his youma that very moment. He had scheduled his promised outing with Naru for the upcoming Tuesday after school, hopeful that the pain in his sprained ankle will have faded completely by then. He sincerely hoped he would be able to enjoy the date in peace.

 

Ruby returned with an unreadable expression on her face. She bowed respectfully before the reformed shitennou. “Master Nephrite, now that enough energy has been gathered, Beryl is now in the process of locating the ginzuishou.”

 

“I see. Were you able to discover just how she intends to do that?”

 

“Yes. It turns out the ginzuishou had broken into seven fragments—nijizuishou. They are found in the bodies of seven mortals. Beryl has recruited Zoisite and entrusted him with the mission of gathering the nijizuishou, giving him a kurozuishou that would hone in on the seven humans.”

 

Nephrite furrowed his brow. He had gotten the feeling he was on the right track when he created his very own kurozuishou, and the old him would have been furious that it had not done what he created it to do. As of now, though, he decided it didn’t matter anymore, for the stars had known about the emotions he had buried deep inside of him and were urging him to find a better life.

 

“Zoisite in charge?” Yukari repeated. “Very interesting.” A part of her wanted to laugh at the thought of that since it was hard for her to picture the sakura king performing such an important task efficiently, but she thought better of it. After all, he proved he had a very dangerous side to him and was starting to learn to back up his threats. _‘I still have yet to take him very seriously.’_

 

“Interesting indeed,” agreed Miki. “Chances are he will have Kunzite helping him, and those two may prove to be a dangerous combination, given how much stronger Kunzite is. However, he needs to brush up on his mentoring skills.”

 

“Most agreed.” Although Ruby still had absolutely no respect for Zoisite, she learned not to dismiss him so easily after he proved he could be bad news when determined to have what he wanted. “So Master Nephrite, what do you plan to do? Is there a way we can thwart Beryl’s scheme indirectly?”

 

“I intend to remain in seclusion, that is, until I am positive Zoisite is no threat. There is one possible way and I believe I have found it.”

 

Ruby nodded, showing her agreement with the decision. “Quite frankly I am surprised the Dark Kingdom left us alone for as long as they have. Beryl told Zoisite to let us be, but I still suspect he will try something again. Let’s face it, the little weasel is annoyingly persistent. “ She cocked an eyebrow, running a hand through her cherry colored locks. “So what is the plan you have devised, sir? Is it anything Miki, Yukari and I can be of assistance with? We’re happy to help in any way we can. ”

 

“I know. “ The corner of the star shitennou’s lips curled up slightly at the fact that his henchwomen were still as helpful as ever, in spite of his leaving the Dark Kingdom. He had now reached the stage where he would freely call them his friends. “Reveal this information to the senshi so they can be prepared for what’s to come. And yes, there is something you girls can do to assist.”

 

Miki’s head snapped up, from where she was reading a magazine. “Oh I get it. So the girls would be one step ahead, correct?”

 

Nephrite smiled at Miki’s intuitiveness. “Precisely.”


	5. Chapter 5

After receiving various massages, heat therapy, and several ice packs, Usagi was finally given the green light to return to class. She took a glance at the clock before exiting the infirmary. By then, it was nearly lunch time, which was just as well for the young girl because she wasn’t sure how she would be able to remain awake in class, plus her stomach was pained with hunger. Not to mention half of her homework was still incomplete.

All the students looked up when they saw their classmate strolling into the room, walking very slowly and holding a small orthopedic pillow in her hands. She placed the pillow in the back of the chair and stiffly sat, resting her backpack down on the ground. She shifted a little in her chair, suppressing a pain filled groan.

Ms. Haruna had just finished writing the homework assignment on the blackboard for the students to copy down. She rested the chalk down and turned to face the front. She smiled slightly when she saw Usagi had arrived. “Well well, Ms. Tsukino. It’s nice that you are finally able to join us. I trust you are feeling all right now.”

It was all Usagi could do not to wince in pain. _‘I wish I could say that, but if I tell Miss H. how much I’m still hurting, she’ll think I’m just saying it to get out of doing my class work. ‘_ She managed a, “Yes ma’am.”

“That’s good.” The teacher’s facial expression grew serious. “I have instructed Ms. Mizuno to give you the work you missed this morning.”

As much as Usagi hated to think about schoolwork, she couldn’t help but consider Ami a lifesaver. She nodded. “Okay.” _‘Maybe I can have her go over the work with me as chances are I wouldn’t understand it anyway.’_

“And be sure to copy the homework assignment I have written on the board before I erase it after lunch.”

The blonde let out a soft sigh, not thrilled at all, but she didn’t want Ms. Haruna to pick up on that. _‘More homework. Oh joy. And I still have some from last week to do. I have to say, though, I’m lucky she hasn’t gotten on my case about that yet.’_ She put on her best dutiful look, hoping it was convincing enough. “Yes, Ms. H.” _‘Not like I could go outside anyway, with my back like this.’_

Ms. Haruna studied Usagi for a bit, not sure what to make of her cooperation. “Good.” Just as she said that, the lunch bell rang and most of the students pushed in their chairs and ran out the door, with the exception of Ami, who opted to stay inside and study, as well as Naru, who was copying down the last bit of notes written on the board.

Usagi gave a dejected sigh as she watched her classmates leave. _‘Man, this really stinks! I’m in pain and stuck in here. I wanted to spend some more time with Mako-chan, too. Now that will have to wait...unless my back feels better before lunch period is over.’_ Her stomach growled loudly. She reached into her backpack for her lunch satchel and pulled it out, resting it on her desk. She untied it and examined her lunch to see if by some miracle it survived the ordeal she encountered, or if she would have to dispose of it. Fortunately for her the sandwich was not totally ruined, although pretty smushed. _‘Who cares? I’m hungry.’_ She picked up the sandwich and brought it to her mouth, taking a bite. _‘Mmmm, not too bad, considering.’_ She was about to take another bite when she heard Naru’s voice going, “Hey, Usagi?” She nearly dropped her sandwich as for a moment she had almost forgotten she wasn’t alone in the classroom. She put her sandwich down and looked at her best friend. “Yes, Naru-chan?”

“How is your back? Are you feeling okay now?” Naru looked at the blonde with concerned eyes.

Usagi rubbed her back and adjusted her pillow as it was beginning to slide out from behind her and fall out of the chair. “Still pretty sore, but I’ll live.”

“I hear you. How did you hurt your back, anyway?”

Usagi held back a groan, not particularly wanting to share what had happened, but she knew it would be no use trying to hide the truth as her friend was _very_ intuitive and almost nothing got past her. “I bumped into some thugs while running to school this morning and they beat me up.”

Naru dropped her pen and her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh no!” She was beginning to wonder if she would ever catch a break from the bad things happening to the people she held most dear. _‘First Nephrite-sama twisted his ankle and now this? I’m afraid to know what’s next.’_ She lowered her head a bit, placing her chin in her hands.

Usagi could see Naru was a bit upset and wanted to set her mind at ease. “I know…stupid lowlifes. Good thing is Makoto fought them off and saved me.”

Naru took her hands from her chin and placed them back on her desk, looking up at her friend. “You mean the new girl?”

“Yup. She arrived just in the nick of time, too.”

“Well it was a good thing she came when she did or who knows what would have happened?”

Usagi shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about it.” She took another bite of her sandwich, chewing as if it were losing its appeal. ‘ _Man I can’t wait to get out of here…just 2 more periods.’_

Naru frowned slightly as she wondered about Makoto and the circumstances of her transfer. _‘Umino said she was kicked out of her old school for fighting, but that could just be hearsay. Even if it weren’t, I still want to get to know her for myself.’_ She decided to let Usagi finish eat in peace and picked up her pen, writing down the rest of the notes.

 _“Miss Osaka Naru, please report to the office as soon as possible!”_ a crisp sounding voice announced over the P.A system.

 _‘Huh?’_ Naru’s heart started to pound rapidly as she placed the pen in between the pages of her notebook, and closed it.

Usagi finished off her last bite of sandwich, looking puzzled. “You have any idea what they could be calling you for?” She certainly hoped the red head wasn’t in trouble or anything like that.

“I don’t know, but I hope nothing terrible has happened. There’s only one way to find out, though.” If it were not for the fact that lunch time was about half over, Naru would have gone crazy wondering what happened. She got up and pushed her chair in. “I’ll be right back,” she said before leaving the classroom.

 _‘I so hope she’ll be all right. I guess I had better hurry and copy those notes before Miss Haruna keeps me in detention again.’_ Letting out a sigh, Usagi reached inside her backpack and pulled out her notebook. She made a face as she eyed the homework on the board. _‘Ewwww, that looks like Ancient Greek to me.’_ She feverishly opened her notebook and began to write down the notes.

Makoto was sitting behind one of the trees of the schoolyard, trying to enjoy her lunch in peace. However, it was hard to do so as she overheard a couple of her classmates talking about her and how she was kicked out of her old school for fighting.

“That Makoto chick sounds like bad news,” one of the boys told Umino. “We should really stay away from her.”

Umino adjusted his glasses and nodded in agreement. “You’re right. Who knows when she’ll fly off the handle and beat us up, too?” He spotted a figure behind the tree wearing the tan colored uniform and with long brown hair tied back in a high ponytail. He went quiet for a bit. “I think she can hear us. Let’s get away from here.”

“Yeah, before she comes after us, too.” The gossipers ran away as if they were chickens with their heads being cut off.

Makoto gave a deep frown as she absorbed what the handful of boys had said about her. _‘It seems as if I have a bunch of haters already, and the day has not even ended yet. I had hoped I would be able to start anew, but I guess not.’_ She went to take another bite of her lunch, but decided not to after discovering she no longer had an appetite. Not after the gossip she overheard. She felt like going after them and telling them off for jumping to such conclusions without finding out the whole story. True, she did get into lots of altercations, but they were all out of self-defense against bullies. _‘It’s no use telling them that, though. They will only believe whatever they want to.’_ She sighed sadly, placing a hand on her forehead. _‘At least that girl Usagi seems to be different from them. Speaking of which, I should check on her. She was hurt pretty badly this morning.’_

The brunette got up from her spot by the tree and headed into the classroom, remembering that Usagi was staying inside for lunch for obvious reasons.  


 

Usagi’s head was bent over as she wrote busily. She knew her penmanship was a bit untidy since she was writing so fast, but she didn’t really care. She just wanted it to be over and done with and besides, she still understood her writing in spite of its sloppiness. Her hand was beginning to become tired as she sped up the process whilst taking down the last question. She heaved a sigh of relief as she rested her pen down. _'Finally.’_ At that moment, she heard footsteps. _‘Huh? Must be Naru-chan. I hope everything went all right.’_ When she looked up, though, she saw that it was not Naru, but Makoto, holding a tray of food. This was fine by her, since she wanted to get to know her better. She actually had thoughts about taking a break and braving the pain to go outside. _‘Now I don’t have to.’_ She smiled brightly as she said, “Hi, Mako-chan!”

Makoto smiled back, not only at the blonde’s cheerful spirit but also because it was refreshing to know that someone was happy to see her for a change. _‘She seems to be a naturally friendly person. I like her.’_ “Hey girl! How are you feeling?” She sat on the right side of Usagi.

Usagi winced slightly trying to adjust herself in her seat. “A little better, but still not my best.”

Makoto gave her new friend a sympathetic look. “I can tell. You are having trouble sitting upright without grimacing. But I’m glad you’re feeling even remotely better.”

Usagi sighed. “Yeah, I’m glad, too. However, what I’m worried about is after school. What if it’s not healed enough for me to walk home then?”

The brunette rested a hand on Usagi’s shoulder. “I’m sure it will be by then. “

“I hope so.”

Makoto shook her head slightly, clicking her tongue. “It will be. Try to have some faith.” She went quiet, trying to find a way to lighten Usagi’s glum mood. “Hey, do you want some of my lunch? “

Usagi’s eyes lit up. “Sure! What have you got there?” She licked her lips, thinking whatever it was would be more filling and satisfying than the sandwich she had. _‘Besides, something tells me if I turned down food from her, I would be missing out.’_

Chuckling lightly, Makoto placed the tray of food on Usagi’s desk and she was even more amused as she watched the blonde ogle at all the different foods. _‘She’s so cute.’_

“Wow, all of this looks yummy!”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” asked Makoto. “Dig in! I’m no longer very hungry, so have as much of it as you like.”

“Okay!” Usagi practically dove into the food, grabbing a rice cake and eating it as if she hadn’t eaten in ages. “Mmmm, this is really good! Your mom sure is a good cook.”

Makoto blushed awkwardly as she explained, “I actually made it myself.”

“Oh really?” Usagi gave an awed look. Of course just about all the people her age could cook better than she could, but Makoto was by far the best. “You did a great job!” She finished eating the rice cake.

A soft gulping sound popped out of Makoto’s throat. _‘One thing I can say is that she has a healthy appetite.’_

Usagi looked away from the tray and turned to Makoto. “Say, Mako-chan? Do you want to come to the arcade with me after school? You can play the Sailor V game there and while it may be hard, it’s also lots of fun.”

The brunette girl smiled brightly at Usagi. “Sure! I would love to! I have wanted to play the Sailor V game for some time. “

Usagi smiled back just as brightly. “Great.” She was about to eat something else from the lunch tray when all of a sudden Naru reentered the classroom, holding an envelope. She was relieved to see the red head back and was about to ask how things went when Naru walked up to her and handed her the envelope. “It’s from Ruby,” she explained. “She said to give it to Sailor Moon next time you come in contact with her. “

“Okay.” Usagi took the envelope and slowly slipped it in her bag. She frowned a bit. _‘So I finally hear from Ruby. But what could she possibly want? Can she be trusted now?’_ She was desperate to know what the note had said, but she didn’t want to read it in front of Naru or Makoto. _‘I’ll have to show it to Ami and Rei after school, though.’_

(after school)

Makoto and Usagi walked to the arcade together. Usagi was holding her backpack in her hand to protect her back, making grunting sounds as if she were still in pain, which she was, despite taking a painkiller during lunchtime. _‘I think after the arcade I will go home and take a nap. I hope I don’t have to fight any monsters with my back like this.’_

Makoto frowned, and looked at Usagi with concern in her eyes. “Hey girl, you need some help with that? You sound as if you’re straining. I don’t want your back to be more messed up than it already is.”

Usagi wanted to ask her friend if she was sure but then she remembered how strong she was. “Yes please. I would really appreciate it.”

“Okie dokie then.” Makoto took Usagi’s bag and hung it on her shoulder.

Usagi reached up a hand and rubbed her back a bit. “Thank you. You’re the best. Sorry for burdening you like this.”

Makoto blushed profusely. “Not a problem at all. And don’t be silly. You’re no burden. What are friends for?”

Usagi’s heart swelled with pride when she heard Makoto refer to her as a friend. She had considered Makoto one from the moment she was rescued from the thugs. “Well I owe you one.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow slightly. “You don’t owe me a thing. Just continuing to be my friend is good enough for me.”

“That I can definitely do. It’s one of the few things I do best.”

“I can see that.” Makoto’s facial expression grew very serious. “You know, you’re pretty much the only student who talked to me instead of behind my back.”

Usagi’s brow furrowed, not liking the sound of that. “Really? How come?”

The brunette’s face flushed as she responded, “It seems like nearly all the students are afraid of me for some reason.”

“Why would anyone be afraid of you?”

Makoto set her mouth in a line. “I’m not entirely sure, but I overheard some of the boys talking about me during lunch time, about how I got into fights at my old school.”

Usagi gave Makoto a look of sympathy. “Awww that sucks.” But inside she was seething as she knew who the ring leader of the gossiping was. _‘Umino…doesn’t he have anything better to do?! The next time I see him he’s gonna wish he was never born.’_ She balled her left hand into a fist.

“Yeah...” Makoto’s voice trailed off as she looked almost depressed. “It’s okay, though. I’m used to it.”

Usagi side-eyed her friend as if she had grown another head or something. _‘I can see how hurt she is. I don’t know why she is trying to pretend otherwise.’_ “No, it’s not okay! They’re judging you when they don’t know the whole story. Even if you had fought at your old school, I am sure there is an explanation for it.”

 _‘She’s defending me. What a true friend._ ’ Makoto couldn’t help but crack a smile. “There is. At least you understand.”

“Of course I do. The fact that you rescued me this morning and shared your lunch with me proves what a good person you are, under your tough exterior. So don’t despair. Things will get better, you’ll see.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. In fact, I have a few friends to introduce you to.”

Makoto’s eyes brightened a bit. “Oh cool! I would love to meet them!”

“And I’m sure they would love to meet you as well. Trust me when I say you’ll love them.”

“I do.” Makoto began to feel optimistic that things would improve for her. It was hard for her not to, given how cheerful the blonde was. She and Usagi soon arrived at the Crown Arcade and entered.

Usagi guided Makoto over to the Sailor V game, and she looked around to see if Motoki was there, so she could say hello to him. Much to her dismay, he was nowhere in sight. _‘Oh bummer.’_

Makoto glanced up from her game and noted Usagi’s disappointment. “Is something wrong, Usagi?”

“I don’t see Motoki anywhere,” the blonde explained. “I wonder if he’s off today. I was hoping to introduce you to him.”

“Oh, who is Motoki?” asked Makoto. Her tone of voice changed into a teasing one as she asked, “Is he your boyfriend?”

Usagi’s face turned bright red upon hearing the word boyfriend. “Nah, he’s just a very good friend.” She looked wistful as she thought about how she loved him much more than that. _‘I will never be good enough for him, though. Oh well. At least I still have Tuxedo Mask.’_

“Oh. Ok.” Makoto turned her attention back to the game as it started to load.

Usagi stood behind Makoto so she could get a clear view of her performance. She gave a small grin when she saw the Sailor V logo appear. “Good luck, Mako-chan.”

Makoto briefly turned back and smiled slightly before entering the necessary details. That done, she began the game. “Thank you. I have the feeling I’ll need it.”

Usagi peered over Makoto’s shoulder as she watched her get engaged in the game. She watched with excitement as well as a little jealousy. Makoto’s skills were not quite as good as Ami’s, but still better than hers. _‘I must be doing something wrong if someone who isn’t a genius like Ami does better than me at such a hard game.’_

For awhile, it seemed like Makoto was holding her own whilst fighting the monsters in the game, that was, until one of the monsters launched an attack. She tried her hardest to dodge it, but to no avail and the attack killed her. She groaned loudly when she saw the words _GAME OVER_ flashing across the screen.“Ugh! I had him! Such rotten cheaters!”

“Right?” agreed Usagi, placing a hand on Makoto’s shoulder. “I know that feeling all too well. But you did pretty good, considering how hard the game is to play.”

“Yeah yeah. Whatever.” Makoto let out a grunt as if to show she was still sore about what had happened.

Usagi stepped back a bit to allow Makoto some space. She was about to urge the brunette to try again when she heard footsteps coming up behind her and a familiar voice saying, “Oh there you are, Usagi-chan. I thought I would find you here.”

The moon senshi turned around and saw that her two friends Ami and Rei had arrived. She smiled widely. “Oh hey guys. I’m so happy to see you. I want you to meet my new friend, Makoto Kino. Makoto, these are my two friends, Ami and Rei.”

The girls greeted each other with “nice to meet yous” and handshakes. Makoto could sense a friendly vibe already. _‘I can tell I’m really going to like them.’_

“Ami here is very smart and sweet, and Rei can be really mean sometimes, so watch out,” continued Usagi.

Before Makoto could respond, Rei looked at Usagi, gaping and walking up to her. She knew there were times she corrected the blonde rather harshly, but felt it was for her own good. “Well hold on just a minute! Which second, hour, day, week, month, and year was I mean to you?”

Usagi scoffed and got into Rei’s face. “Oh, like, you don’t know? You’re always being mean, even when you don’t realize it! “she shot back, pointing at the raven haired girl, her tone of voice rising to the extent where she was practically yelling.

Makoto looked uncomfortable at all the bickering, then she chuckled a little. “You guys seem to be the best of friends.”

“We’re nothing of the sort!” scoffed Rei. “All we ever do is argue because Usagi here always picks fights with me!”

Usagi gasped, offended about what the fiery senshi just said. “I do not!”

“You do, too!”

“That’s actually your department! Don’t confuse me with you!”

In response, Rei stuck her tongue out at Usagi, and the blonde did the same, both girls turning their backs on each other and crossing their arms.

Makoto gave another awkward chuckle while the two girls bickered.

Ami shook her head and rubbed her temples wearily, letting out a sigh. “Makoto, was it? Sorry you had to see that. It’s normal for them. I always have to break up their fights. I find it to be quite tiresome, actually.”

Makoto nodded. “I understand. Well it is said that the more friends fight, the closer they are to each other.”

Usagi and Rei forgot about their little tiff with each other and directed their attention at what Makoto just said. “Huh. Not likely,” Rei muttered under her breath.

Makoto furrowed her brow, trying to think of how to lighten the mood as there was more tension in the room than she could stand. “Hey guys. How about we play some video games, now that the four of us are here?” she suggested.

Usagi smiled brightly. “Sure, that sounds great. I have to talk to Ami and Rei about something first though.”

Both Rei and Ami averted their eyes toward Usagi. “What is it, Usagi-san?” asked Ami. “Is something wrong?”

Usagi scrunched up her brow as she still didn’t know what Ruby’s letter was about to decide what to make of it. “Um, not exactly, but it’s important.”

Still slightly irritated with the blonde for her jab earlier, Rei had to fight the urge to make a sarcastic remark. _‘However, it must be really important for her to look that serious.’_ She looked thoughtful. “Okay. It would probably a good idea to discuss it outside just in case it’s…” She paused, going to say sailor business but she didn’t want to give away any hint about the girls’ identities as senshi. “Confidential.”

“You’re right. Let’s go.” Usagi quickly pulled the envelope out of her bag and turned to Makoto. “Hey Mako-chan, we’re just gonna step outside for a bit. We’ll be right back.”

“Okay. No problem.” Makoto sat back down in front of the Sailor V game, deciding to give it another go.

“All right, you guys. I’m ready.” Usagi and her friends exited the arcade. Usagi looked disappointed once she saw there was nowhere comfortable to sit, which meant she would have to further strain her back. _‘I don’t know how much longer I can take this.’_ She sighed, rubbing her lower back a little.

Rei smoothed down the pleats of her skirt before asking, “So what was it you wanted to talk about, Usagi?”

Usagi could tell by Rei’s voice that she was still a bit peeved at her even though she sounded calm and level. She realized she had better get straight to the point. “Well, during lunchtime Naru-chan gave this letter to me, saying it’s from Ruby, and I am not sure whether I should be worried or not.” She waved the letter a bit.

Rei frowned in confusion as a bunch of questions came to her, like, _why would Ruby write a letter?_ After several minutes of mulling over the thoughts in her mind, she looked like she might explode. “Well of course you should be worried. I mean, she is one of Nephrite’s cronies for goodness sake!”

Ami elbowed the raven haired teen in the ribs. “Rei!” she whispered loudly.

Rei winced as she rubbed her side. “I mean, it all depends on what the letter is about. Did you read it?”

“No, I didn’t want to in front of Mako-chan and I was pretty much out of commission, so I couldn’t go anywhere to read it in private. Plus, I wanted to wait until I saw you guys, first. “ Usagi ripped open the envelope and carefully unfolded the letter. She slowly read the letter, blocking out all the noises made by different people walking by.

Rei and Ami stood there waiting patiently for their friend to finish reading the letter. They noted her unusually serious expression and were anxious to know what Ruby wanted, considering they had not heard anything from her or Nephrite in quite awhile. _‘Could she have issued a challenge to attack us? If so, we had better stay on our guard.’_

Usagi finally looked up from the letter, exhaling a deep breath. She grew nervous feeling her friends’ eyes on her, knowing they were waiting for her response.

“Well?” prodded Rei, looking impatient.

“What does it say?” asked Ami.

“She is letting us know of the Dark Kingdom’s plan to find the ginzuishou, and how they plan to do that by finding seven humans who possess something called nijizuishou. “

Rei cocked an eyebrow. “Nijizuishou?” she repeated. She frowned slightly, trying to think of whether she had heard of it before as it didn’t sound familiar to her, although the ginzuishou did.

Usagi nodded.”Someone named Zoisite was sent for the mission and his first victim is Joe the Crane Game Troll.”

“Oh. So Nephrite has been replaced, then.” Rei knitted her eyebrows. “I see.” _‘I wonder what Nephrite plans to do. Not that I really care. He needs to prove he can be trusted first.’_

Ami reached behind to scratch her back. “In that case, we had better find Joe and keep a close eye on him.”

“You’re right,” said Rei. “Who knows what the Dark Kingdom will do in order to obtain these nijizuishou?” She fell silent for a bit, wondering why Ruby would bother to give them this information, although she would not be complaining if it were true. _‘Could this mean a change of heart?’_ “So did she say anything else?”

“Yes, she said Nephrite would like to make amends with us and so would she, as well as the other henchwomen. She left us her cellphone number to contact her whenever we’re ready. I think she wants to set up a time to meet up with us or something.”

“Hmm. Well I believe that could be arranged.” Rei still wasn’t sure whether she could trust Nephrite or his henchwomen, but she thought it was only fair to hear them out. _‘After all, it’s Zoisite we have to worry about now.’_ “What do you think, Ami?”

“It does seem sincere, and it is nice to hear something from her,” the senshi of ice responded, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I had been wondering what was going on with them.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Usagi. “She happened to mention that Nephrite has a sprained ankle and had been taking it easy for the past week. That’s one of the reasons why we haven’t seen any trace of him since that night he found out who I was.”

“Ouch.” Rei gave a sympathetic wince.

“Ouch is correct.” Usagi knew the feeling all too well, although her problem made Nephrite’s situation seem miniscule in comparison. _‘I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.’_ She folded up the letter. “So, are you guys on board with what Ruby has proposed?”

“I am,” confirmed Ami.

“I guess I am, too,” said Rei. “I am still wary, but I think it’s only fair to allow Nephrite and those ladies a chance to prove they have turned over a new leaf.”

Usagi looked over at her friend, a little surprised. She had expected Rei to say absolutely not, and while the reluctance was still there, the fact that she agreed showed she was willing to forgive and move on. “Great.” She placed the letter back inside the envelope and handed it to Ami. “Here, Ami. I think it would be best if you hold onto this. I would probably lose it, anyway.”

“Okay.” Ami took the letter and placed it in the front compartment of her backpack.

 _‘Darn right, you would.’_ Rei gave Usagi a small smirk. “I must say that’s the most intelligent decision you’ve ever made.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” asked Usagi, folding her arms tightly.

“I mean, you’re very irresponsible, so it’s best if you handed it to someone more likely to keep it safe.”

“Take that back!”

“No way!”

“You’re lucky I’m not one hundred percent!”

“Oh yeah?”

Ami threw her hands up in the air. “All right, you two, that’s enough fighting!”

The two girls heard the sternness in Ami’s voice and instantly stopped their bickering. Both of them looked sheepishly at her. “Sorry,” they said in unison.

Ami sighed and rubbed her forehead, for she felt a headache coming on. “Anyway, we need to tell Luna about this, see what she thinks and perhaps have a meeting.”

Rei nodded. “Most agreed.”

Makoto was concentrating on playing the Sailor V game whilst waiting for her new friends to return. She was slowly getting the hang of it, but she still had yet to figure out how to beat the game. That didn’t stop her from giving her all, though. Even so, her valiant effort was not enough and once again, she saw the two dreaded words _GAME OVER_ appear. She gritted her teeth, letting out a small growl as she fought the urge to punch the screen. _‘I swear, this game must be rigged or something!’_

All of a sudden, there was lots of murmuring amongst a crowd of people surrounding the game crane machine. Makoto couldn’t make out what was being said, but she was distracted. She decided to take a break and see what the fuss was about. She got up and walked over to the crane machine, saying “excuse me” as she walked through the crowd, trying to get near the front so she could get a better view. She nearly bumped into a girl with long black hair wearing a uniform much like Usagi’s. “Oops, sorry.”

The raven haired girl turned around to face Makoto. “Oh, it’s okay. “ She studied the taller brunette girl. “Oh I know you. You’re the new girl. Your name is Makoto, right?”

Makoto gave a friendly smile. “Yes that’s me.”

“My name is Yumi.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Thank you. Nice to meet you as well.” After all the gossiping there was about Makoto at school, Yumi had to admit, there was no negative vibe from her. _‘It goes to show the exterior can be deceiving. ‘_

“So what’s going on? What’s the big fuss about?”

“There’s this guy named Joe who is known as the Crane Game Troll. He is called that because of his uncanny ability to win as much plushies as he wants.”

Makoto tilted her head slightly. “Ah.” But inwardly she was wondering if such a feat were even possible. She caught a glimpse of the young man everyone was gawking at in amazement. _‘That must be Joe.’_ She looked to see what was getting everyone so excited and saw what Yumi was talking about. _‘Wow. I’m jealous. It seems to come natural to him. If only I could beat the Sailor V game that easily.’_ “I see why they call him the Crane Game Troll.”

“I know. It’s hard for me to win one, much less a bunch.”

“Same here.” Makoto got a dreamy look on her face. _‘He looks so handsome. I should get him to teach me.’_

After Joe was satisfied with the amount of plushes he won, he left the arcade and was on his way to the coffee shop for a quick cup of coffee. He could feel someone staring at him, but he shrugged it off as nothing since people had been doing plenty of that while he was winning those toys. _‘They’re just jealous.’_

Zoisite fixed his gaze upon Joe, smirking evilly as he sat on the roof, watching the young man walk down the sidewalk. _‘The first nijizuishou carrier has arrived. His destiny is about to change and he doesn’t even know it yet. Time to go to work.´_ Clutching the kurozuishou, the sakura shitennou leapt off the roof, landing in front of Joe. “Why hello there, young man. I have been expecting you.”

The brunette young man looked up sharply and saw a man with tawny hair wearing a military type gray-blue uniform. His face looked very delicate and child-like, as if he were only a couple of years older. He glared at the stranger who dared to block his path. “What do you want with me?”

Zoisite merely smirked at Joe, clearly amused at his annoyance. “Nothing much, I just want to set you free from your captivity.”

Joe looked at Zoisite as if he had lost his mind. “Listen here, blondie, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I don’t have time for this. I suggest you move out of my way. I have somewhere to be! “ He was trying to keep his temper, but so far he wasn’t doing a very good job. It took every ounce of self-control inside him to not get physical with this blonde man, whoever he was.

Zoisite chuckled lightly, clicking his tongue. “Now now, there is no need to get so belligerent. You’re actually one of my comrades. But first you have to go through a rather unpleasant process. I promise you that it won’t hurt for long.” He spun the kurozuishou on his finger as he activated its power and then threw it out. “Zoi!” He emitted white energy from the black colored stone towards Joe, hitting him in the chest and revealing a crimson colored crystal.

“Ah! Stop it!” Joe yelled, clutching his chest in agony. He didn’t know what the nut job was trying to do, but the pain was like nothing he had ever felt before.

 _‘Those cries of pain are music to my ears.’_ Zoisite continued trying to extract the nijizuishou and almost got it out when he felt something hitting him in the back of his head, making him hiss loudly in pain before cursing under his breath. He looked up sharply to see a young girl with brown hair. He shot a murderous glare at her. “Who are you?”

“I am someone who despises bullies,” replied Makoto. “You should pick on somebody your own size!”

Zoisite gave Makoto a look that was a cross between a smirk and a glare. “This does not concern you. I suggest you get lost before I make you regret meddling in my affairs.”

“I don’t think so! If I have to use force, so be it!” The brunette girl charged at Zoisite and did an elbow punch. He evaded the blow with ease, and just laughed at her. “Pardon my laughter, but what was that? Then again, I shouldn’t expect much from a mere mortal like you.”

“Ha! You ain’t see nothing yet! I’m just beginning!” Makoto lunged at Zoisite once again, trying to land a blow on the shitennou. At one point she took off her rose earrings and threw them at him, then delivered a powerful shove, thus giving him a small cut on the corner of his mouth.

Zoisite was shocked that Makoto actually succeeded in her onslaught against him. _‘She’s tougher than I imagined.’_ He felt blood trickling down his face as well as some pain. _‘What’s this? Oh no. Please tell me this human girl did not do what I think she did._ ’ He proceeded to shake with rage when he realized what had happened. “You prehistoric witch! You’ll pay for scarring my beautiful face!” In a flash, he disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms, deciding to get some advice from Kunzite on how to alter his strategy.

Makoto stood there panting, trying to catch her breath. She pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. _‘I swear, people could be such low lives. Next time he shows his face around here, I’m gonna do more than bruise it.’_    She was about to go check up on Joe when she felt an arm around the small of her back. _‘Huh? Who’s that?’_ She quickly turned to her side to see if it was someone she would have to go ninja on. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Usagi, holding a black cat with a crescent moon on its forehead. “Oh hey girl. So you’re finally back. That’s an adorable kitty you’re holding. Is it yours?”

Usagi giggled a little. “Yes. Her name is Luna. She’s a very special friend.”

“Oh, I see. I wish I had a cat as cute as her. “Makoto started petting Luna.

Luna purred at Makoto’s touch, as if to say how soothing it was, all the while thinking about how she sensed a very strong presence. _‘Could she be an enemy or a senshi?’_

Usagi smiled, glad that Luna seemed to take a liking to her new friend. “So are you all right? I saw you fighting off someone.”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m not so sure about Joe, though. “

Usagi furrowed her brow as if she were trying to remember something. “Oh. That guy over there?”

“Yes.” Makoto walked over to the young man, who was kneeling down on the ground, trying to recover. “Hey Joe, are you all right? Let me help you up.” She reached out a hand for him to take.

Joe rudely pushed the young teen’s hand away, a reaction she wasn’t expecting. “Go away! I don’t need your help! Leave me alone!”

Makoto’s shock turned into indignity. “Well excuse me for trying to help!”

“Yeah, didn’t your parents teach you any manners?” chimed in Usagi, marching over to the young man and standing next to Makoto, her arms folded.

Joe looked up slightly. He saw the two girls’ looks of disapproval and was speechless for awhile, as no one with the exception of his parents had really talked to him about manners before. He returned the hard look. “Just mind your own business!” He got up and walked away, grumbling about how nosy people were.

Luna frowned slightly, for she had an uneasy feeling the whole time Joe was around. _‘He’s giving off evil vibrations.’_

Usagi stared after Joe as he left. “Hmph! What an ingrate!”

“He certainly is one,” agreed Makoto. “I still say we should go after him and keep watch, though. Who knows whether that blonde guy will come back to cause more problems? “

Usagi made a face of disgust, not thrilled with the thought of crossing paths with Joe ever again.”Hmmm, as much as I can’t stand him, you have a point. Something tells me that blonde guy is bad news.” _‘Actually, I believe he’s probably from the Dark Kingdom, but Makoto won’t know what I mean.’_

“All right. Let’s go, then.” The two girls could still spot Joe walking from a far distance, which was good considering they didn’t want him to see them. They proceeded to follow him, keeping their eyes peeled the entire time.

Makoto and Usagi picked up the pace whilst following Joe so they wouldn’t lose sight of him from the far distance he was ahead of them. A part of them were glad they were too far away for him to realize he was being followed. This way, they wouldn’t have to endure another tirade. Once he slowed down, they caught up with him, making sure there was still a sizeable distance and not to be too loud. He stopped once he was at a coffee shop, and the girls stopped as well. They waited for him to enter before sitting on a stone ledge that would enable them to get a good view of the young man.

Makoto watched as Joe sat at a table that was far from everyone else’s. Her cheeks flushed as she got a dreamy expression on her face. “He may be a jerk, but he is just like the guy who broke my heart…”

Usagi looked at Makoto as if she had admitted to being from outer space or something. “Huh? Say what?” She snapped her fingers and waved her hands in front of the brunette’s face. “Earth to Makoto. Makoto, are you in there?” _‘Goodness, she’s acting worse than I can be.’_

Makoto finally came out of her dream-like state. She turned to face Usagi. “Sorry. Were you saying something?”

“Not really. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed out of it for awhile there.”

“Oh really?” Makoto’s mouth formed an O shape before she said, “That’s weird.”

“Don’t I know.” Usagi lazily stretched her legs out in front of her and all of a sudden she yawned loudly.

Luna rolled her eyes. _‘What a lazy bones. She seriously needs to go to bed on time.’_

Makoto couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. _‘She’s lucky she isn’t in Ms. H’s class at the moment. She would be in detention for being so loud.’_ “Sounds like someone could use a nap. “

Usagi giggled sheepishly. “No no, I’m all right.”

“Are you sure? Because I would understand if you wanted to go home and get some rest, which you need anyway.”

Usagi had to admit, going home did sound tempting, as she needed to be at her best just in case she had to fight another Dark Kingdom battle, but she had this feeling she would be needed around the area very soon. “No. I’m okay. Really. ”

“Okay. If you’re sure.” Makoto thought of a way she could be closer to Joe other than just spying on him. That would get boring quickly and plus she knew he would yell at her for being rude or annoying. “Hey Usagi. Want to go inside for a bit? I could use a cup of tea.”

“Sure! That sounds great.” _‘Mmmmm. I could use a nice donut, and some hot chocolate, too. Perhaps that will give me energy.’_ Usagi rested Luna on the ledge since cats were not allowed inside, and carefully got up.

“Good. Let’s go.” Makoto and Usagi entered the café. They looked around for a place to sit, and settled on a table that was next to Joe’s. They each took a seat.

Joe heard the sound of the chairs scraping and glanced over at his right, spotting the two girls. He let out a grunt of annoyance as if to say, ’ _ugh, not those annoying girls again.’_ He glowered at them. “What are you two doing here? Will you ever stop pestering me?”

Makoto narrowed her eyes. “Well excuse me. Last time I checked, this was a public place.”

“Yeah, so get over yourself and lay off,” added Usagi.

Joe opened his mouth to retort something nasty, but the argument was interrupted by someone saying, “Now now, there’s no need to fight. How about ordering a nice hearty meal to help calm whatever troubles you? I will be your server.”

Makoto sighed and got butterflies in her stomach. _‘Hmm. His voice is so yummy. ‘“_ Um yes please, I’d like some tea with milk and a large curry rice to take home.”

“And I’d like some hot chocolate and 3 donuts, please,” said Usagi.

“Good choices. Too bad you fools will never have another meal again.”

“Huh?” Both girls narrowed their eyes. They knew this man was no waiter. Makoto and Usagi glanced up sharply at the imposter. Makoto gritted her teeth as she saw it was the same man she confronted before. Zoisite. “It’s you again,” she growled.

Usagi gasped. _‘He’s from the Dark Kingdom. I can’t tell Mako-chan that, though.’_ “What’s your problem? Don’t you have anything better to do?” She turned and glared at the sakura shitennou.

A smirk appeared on Zoisite’s delicate facial features. He let out a soft chuckle. “You thought you’ve seen the last of me, didn’t you? Zoi!” He knocked over all the booths and tables in the café. Joe, Usagi and Makoto managed to get up just in time but just barely. They sped out of the café like a bolt of lightning. Zoisite came after them, breaking the glass in the process.

Usagi clenched her fists, seething with anger. “Whoever that guy is, he’s gonna be history!” She went behind the building, away from view and transformed. “Moon Prism Power, Make Up!” _‘Okay time to blow this Popsicle stand!’_

Joe realized his attacker was after him once again, so he started to run away. Before he could get very far, though, he was thrown off his feet, landing on his rear end. He made an “oof” noise when he fell. _‘What the…?’_ He trembled as he watched the blonde man approach him.

“You’re not going anywhere. Now where was I, before I was so rudely interrupted by that young wench? Oh yes, I was about to free your true nature and take what’s mine.” Zoisite took out his kurozuishou, about to activate it.

“Oh no you don’t!” Makoto charged at Zoisite, about to attack him and knock the kurozuishou out of his hands, but Zoisite shoved her away.

“Owww,” moaned Makoto as she landed on her rear. She rubbed the soreness away.

Zoisite laughed at the brunette. “Consider it revenge for damaging my face earlier.” Fortunately, the cut had healed, so that was enough to calm him down some. “Now, as I was saying. It’s time for the kurozuishou to go to work! Zoi!” The tawny haired shitennou activated the ebony colored crystal’s power, and a beam struck Joe in the chest. He let out a scream of pain as Zoisite increased the power level of the kurozuishou a notch. With this power boost, the nijizuishou was extracted with very little trouble. He caught the ruby red gem in his hand, chuckling lightly. “Success.” He watched with satisfaction as a billow of smoke swirled around the young man and he transformed into a humanoid shaped machine creature, letting out a loud battle roar. “Gamecen!”

Makoto’s jaw dropped open at what she had just witnessed. “What the...” She got up and brushed off her skirt.

Luna observed with a grim expression on her face. _‘Just as I suspected. Joe is from the Dark Kingdom.’_

Zoisite’s lips stretched into a wicked smile. “Welcome back, my friend. It’s time for you to destroy the world.”

“Not likely! You can kiss your friend goodbye!” yelled out a female voice.

Zoisite’s smile faded and turned into a look of annoyance. “Who dares to interrupt me?”

Sailor Moon leapt off the roof, landing in front of the flaxen haired shitennou, forgetting about her back injury until she felt a sharp pain. She held back her wince, though, for there was no way she would give the sakura king the satisfaction. “Shame on you for exploiting someone who has gaming for a hobby! I will not forgive you for that! I am the pretty sailor senshi of love and justice, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!” She folded her arms tightly across her chest.

Luna looked up, her eyes filled with hope. _‘It’s about time the slowpoke showed up. ‘_

“Sailor Moon,” Makoto gasped softly. She was filled with excitement at seeing one of her idols.

Zoisite smirked evilly, eyeing the young heroine up and down. He was unable to believe she outwitted Nephrite numerous times. “Well you’re a little too late to stop me, Sailor Moon. You are about to feel the wrath of Gamecen. “

“Gamecen?” Sailor Moon looked around to see the monster destroying some trees, and then she faced Zoisite angrily. “And just who are you? “

The corners of Zoisite’s mouth curled a bit as he responded, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zoisite, one of the four kings of heaven. I am not like that sentimental fool, Nephrite.”

“Zoisite…” Sailor Moon mumbled. _‘So he is the one Ruby told us to watch out for.’_ Her eyes narrowed when she heard him talking smack about Nephrite.”Perhaps _you_ should try learning about love sometime, then you wouldn’t be so evil.”

“I don’t think so. Love is for fools.” Zoisite’s face turned slightly green. He levitated and hovered midair with one leg crossed over the other.” As much as I would love to stay and witness your destruction, I must be going so I can get this nijizuishou to Queen Beryl. We will meet again. Gamecen, you take care of the rest. “ With that, Zoisite teleported away.

Sailor Moon turned her attention back to the youma, glaring at him. “Okay, freak! Show me what you’ve got!”

“With great pleasure! Take this!” The crimson colored monster thrust out his hand, using one of the weapons at his disposal to ensnare the moon senshi.

Moon struggled to get free. “Aaaaah! What is this? I can’t move! Someone help me!”

Gamecen laughed. “No one will save you now!” He whirled Sailor Moon around before shooting another of his projectiles at her. “Say goodbye!”

“Aaaaah! Let me go!” Sailor Moon squirmed, trying to breaking free of Gamecen’s weapons, but he was much too strong for her. _‘This is one of the moments I could use my friends’ help.’_

It was so hard for Makoto to watch Sailor Moon be so sorely outmatched. “I have to do something,” she muttered under her breath. _‘Okay, monster. You’ve already had your fun.’_ “Hey ugly! Get a load of this!” She strode over to the monster cornering Sailor Moon and grabbed him away from her, hoisting him overhead. A symbol of the number 4 appeared on her forehead whilst she was holding up the youma.

Sailor Moon watched in awe as Makoto held the monster above her head. “Wow. She’s so strong. I’m kind of jealous.”

Luna saw the symbol on the girl’s forehead and gasped. _‘Of course! Now I know why the powerful aura surrounded her…that’s the symbol of Jupiter!’_ She smiled softly, realizing that nearly all the senshi would be awakened soon. She did a back flip, making a green colored power stick appear and it fell to the ground.

Makoto threw Gamecen onto the ground. “That’s for messing with my hero, Sailor Moon!” She patted her hands together.

Sailor Moon let out a sigh of relief, rubbing her lower back, which had been further strained. “Thank you, Makoto. You saved me again.”

“Don’t sweat it.”

“Makoto, catch!” Luna grabbed the transforming stick into her mouth and tossed it to Makoto.

 _‘Did Luna just speak? No, that’s just my imagination. Animals can’t talk.’_ Makoto looked like she had seen a ghost when she heard Luna speak, but before she had time to react, the transforming stick was being thrown towards her. She caught it just in time. She gazed at Luna with wide eyes. “You can talk?”

“There’s no time to explain,” said Luna. “Hold up that stick I just gave you and shout, Jupiter Power, Make Up!”

“Okay.” Mystified, Makoto thought to herself, _‘Look at me. I’m talking to a cat. I have officially lost it. That doesn’t matter, though. Sailor Moon needs me.’_ She held up the transforming stick and yelled, “Jupiter Power, Make Up!” Her school uniform turned into a sailor fuku with a white top and a short green skirt, and a pink bow in front. Her moccasins were now laced boots. _‘Wow, I’m a sailor senshi.’_

Sailor Moon eyed Makoto in astonishment. “Wow! So Makoto is a senshi, too? This is cool! I wonder how many more there are.”

“Well there’s no time to wonder about that,” said Luna. “You still have to take care of that monster.”

Moon rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Now that you’ve mentioned it, where is the monster, anyway?” Just as she asked that, she heard groaning as Gamecen was beginning to regain his senses. He slowly arose to his feet.

“You won’t be lucky this time, Sailor Brats!” Gamecen thrust out his arms, preparing to unleash an attack.

“That’s what you think!” Jupiter crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Guardian Jupiter, I call upon you to send down the clouds, bring down the thunder, which will enable me to defeat my foe. “ The antennae started to spark with lightning. “Supreme Thunder!” The massive thunderbolt hurtled towards the youma, and he was hit before he could find a way to dodge it.

“Aaaaah! Curse you, miserable wench!” Gamecen hunched over in pain.

Sailor Moon took this as her cue. “All right, creep face! Say goodbye!” She reached for her tiara to take it off.

“Hold it, Sailor Moon,’ said Luna. “Don’t attack yet.”

“Huh?” Moon removed her hand from her tiara, rather confused by the sudden change of heart. “What gives, Luna?”

“Remember, that monster is originally a human. He can be returned to normal.”

“Say what?” The moon senshi gaped at Luna. ‘ _I swear, she never ceases to amaze me.’_ “How in the heck am I supposed to do that?”

Luna didn’t answer Moon’s question, but instead did a back flip, making a crescent moonstick appear.”That wand will help you.”

“Okay…” Sailor Moon picked up the wand and examined it for a bit. _‘It’s kind of cute. I can say that much.’_ “So how am I supposed to use it to heal Joe?”

“Hold it up and say, Moon Healing Escalation!” instructed the feline guardian.

Sailor Moon nodded and held up the wand, waving it in a circular fashion. “Moon Healing Escalation!” Moon dust rained from the wand onto Gamecen, making him clutch his head in pain.

“Refresh!” Joe yelled out with his arms stretched upwards before falling on his knees and onto the ground.

For awhile, Sailor Moon just stood there in utter amazement. _‘Wow. Who would have thought I had it in me?’_ She looked at Joe’s unconscious form. _‘I hope Joe will be all right, although he’s a jerk.’_

“Excellent work, Sailor Moon,” said Luna. “Keep up the great work.”

Sailor Moon’s cheeks turned bright red. “Oh, thanks Luna. It means a lot.”

Luna smiled slightly, and then her smile disappeared as she looked at the moon senshi with a serious expression on her face that she wore when she had something important to say. “I want you to pay very close attention to what I have to say. That moonstick I have entrusted to you signifies your leadership. “

“Oh wow! You really think I have what it takes?” Moon’s eyes lit up, for ever since she had become a senshi, she had to endure lectures for being irresponsible.

“Well, you have definitely come a long way, but you still have a lot to learn before you become a true leader.”

Sailor Moon’s mood plummeted and her smile faded. “But I thought…”

“No, let me finish,” said Luna, giving the blonde a look that was between amusement and mild exasperation. “I feel that the leadership position will motivate you to do your best in your mission, as well as boost your confidence. The battle is about to become tougher, now that the Dark Kingdom realizes what they must do to find the ginzuishou.”

“Oh. Ok.” Sailor Moon actually did sense things would be tough for her down the road, and not just because of the reason Luna mentioned either. _‘Have to make sure they don’t go after Nephrite and his youma, too.’_

“Well, although I don’t know her that well yet, I have a gut feeling she can do it,” piped up Sailor Jupiter.

Moon looked at her friend, wide-eyed. “You do? Thank you so much! You have no idea what it means to me! I’m so glad you’re on my team!” She threw her arms around Jupiter.

Surprised, Sailor Jupiter lightly patted the blonde’s back.” I’m glad to be on it.”

Sailor Moon could see that the senshi was not used to her level of affection, so she let her go. “And I promise you as leader I will try my best not to let you down.” It made Sailor Moon feel good to know there was at least one person who had confidence in her, but at the same time it was a bit scary, too. With so much faith in her, it would add that much more pressure on her to live up to the expectations of the other senshi and Luna.


End file.
